Carnival or Mardi Gras is a time of parades and exuberant partying just before the forty days of Lent, when many Christians must adopt of more austere way of life. Latin America features hundreds of variations on the festivities. Mexico has two sensational parades like no others, in towns that are otherwise obscure--Huejotzingo in the state of Puebla and Tlacayapan in the state of Morelos. These two parties are as different as any two celebrations can be.