Santiago Carnival

Santiago's carnival is the country's second great one after La Vega, and it has its own character built on a rivalry: the neighbourhoods of La Joya and Los Pepines each make their masks in a distinct style, La Joya's with smooth curved horns and Los Pepines' with spiky ones covered in small points, and the two parade in competition every Sunday of February. The characters are called lechones, pigs, rather than vejigantes, and instead of a bladder they carry a knotted rope whip called a vejiga or fuete, used on the legs of anyone slow to get out of the way. The masks are made by named artisans in workshops across both neighbourhoods.

What you actually see

• The two mask styles - smooth horns from La Joya, spiked from Los Pepines.
• The lechones - the costumed figures and their knotted whips.
• The Sunday parades - every week through February along the main avenue.
• The mask workshops - open in both neighbourhoods in the weeks before.

When to go

Every Sunday in February, with the final Sunday the largest. Parades start in the afternoon and run into the evening. Mask workshops are worth visiting in January when the makers are working to the deadline.

Honest expectations

The whips are real and they hurt; wearing thick trousers and staying alert is the local approach, and being struck is considered part of it rather than an assault. Crowds are dense and pickpocketing happens. Parking near the route is impossible. The rivalry between the two neighbourhoods is taken seriously and visitors should not take sides loudly.

Nearby

La Vega's carnival is 40 minutes away on the same Sundays; Centro León is in the city.