Traditional El Cedral Fair Kicks Off in Cozumel With 178-Year-Old Legacy

Cozumel, Quintana Roo — Local authorities led by Mayor José Luis Chacón inaugurated the traditional El Cedral Fair on Friday, honoring the Santa Cruz de Sabán in the town of the same name. The event runs from May 1 to May 3 and features religious, sports, and cultural activities.

To kick off the celebration, members of the Ejidal Commissariat — accompanied by the town’s “Mayor Staff Bearer,” Martin Cárdenas Ávila, and special guests — cut the ribbon at the monument to Casimiro Cárdenas.

Officials then delivered remarks highlighting the importance of preserving the fair, which has been held for 178 years.

The opening ceremony also included a parade of traditional Yucatecan dresses adorned with buttons, buds, and flowers from El Cedral, as well as a reenactment of a Maya wedding.

Mayor Chacón noted that the celebration dates back to 1848, when Casimiro Cárdenas survived the Caste War and vowed to honor the Santa Cruz every May 3. He called the festival the oldest continuous celebration in all of Quintana Roo.

Chacón also recognized the late Eligio Cárdenas Montero, the previous staff bearer, who died a few months ago.

The mayor then presided over the crowning of the fair’s queen, Romina Isabel Cetzal Rivero; the godmother, Carlita Ortiz de Villanueva; the “Most Beautiful Flower,” Fernanda Elizabeth Martín Madera; and the queen of the riders, Lilly Ann Jones.