Chihuahuas dressed as Indians

Mexico dog sculptures removed on protestSculptures of Chihuahua dogs wearing traditional outfits were yanked from a stop along Mexico's Copper Canyon railway after protests from Tarahumara indigenous groups that found them offensive, a state official said Thursday.

Officials removed the 5-foot-tall fiberglass sculptures from Chihuahua state's annual "Dog Parade" in Urique on March 13, said Jesus Avalos, a spokesman with the state government's office for Tarahumara affairs.

The annual exhibit, begun in 2006 and intended to promote tourism along the canyon railway popular with travelers, has previously featured dog sculptures dressed as policemen, cowboys and firefighters.

This year, they wore colorful Tarahumara dress in a bid to promote the group's way of life, Avalos said.

But indigenous leaders considered the display an insulting comparison of their people to animals, said Jaime Enriquez, an executive member of the Chihuahua Tarahumaras Coordination body.Comment:  To state the obvious, police officer, cowboy, and firefighter are occupations. People who do these jobs can belong to any race. So a dog dressed as one of them doesn't target a particular race.

Dressing a dog or other animal as an Indian does target a particular race. It's arguably racist because it discriminates on the basis of race. Hence the protest.

Below:  "Yo soy Tarahumara."