Guelaguetza

The Guelaguetza is Mexico's most significant indigenous celebration, a manifestation of reciprocity and collective offering that brings together the 16 indigenous peoples of the state of Oaxaca at the Guelaguetza Auditorium on Cerro del Fortín. During two consecutive Mondays in July, delegations from the 8 regions—Cañada, Costa, Istmo, Mixteca, Papaloapan, Sierra Juárez, Sierra Sur, and Valles Centrales—present their traditional dances, ancestral music, and hand-embroidered costumes that took months to create.

History

The word 'Guelaguetza' comes from Zapotec and means offering, cooperation, and reciprocity. The celebration has pre-Hispanic roots in agricultural rituals dedicated to Centéotl, goddess of corn. After the Spanish conquest, Dominican friars merged indigenous festivities with the celebration of July 16th, the feast day of the Virgin of Carmen, creating the cultural synthesis we know today. The modern version of the festival was institutionalized in 1932 during the celebrations of Oaxaca's fourth centenary as a city. Today it is Intangible Cultural Heritage of the State of Oaxaca.