LA GUELAGUETZA

As published by JPlus by The Jakarta Post, December 2015

La Guelaguetza, one of the biggest festivals in Mexico

It’s worth visiting Oaxaca in July, when the city stages La Guelaguetza, one of the biggest festivals in Mexico.

La Guelaguetza takes its name from the Zapotec word for “the present”, which in a broad sense represents an attitude of sharing with neighbours, nature and life.

The pinnacle of the festival is the Lunes de Cerro, or Monday of the Hill, when there’s folk dancing, chanting and other rituals performed by people from throughout the state.

I watched the festivities at the modern Guelaguetza Auditorium, located above Fortin Hill close to the city centre.

While the most expensive tickets cost 1050 Mexican pesos (US$65), it’s also possible to enjoy Lunes de Cerro in the free seats, if you don’t mind sitting a little far from the action and are willing to arrive at least two hours in advance.

Most of the performances I saw were accompanied by chilena music, an Afro-Mexican fusion genre from coastal Oaxaca.

Men and women danced in pairs. Following each act, performers and organizers threw presents into the crowd, such as handicrafts, tortilla crackers, sweets and coffee.

Women dancers from the Tuxtepec region emerged carrying pineapples on their shoulders and dancing in line – and pitched bananas, oranges and pineapples into the crowd after the show.

Tuxtepec Women

I was blown away by an Aztec-Mixtec’s feather dance act, where eight men, each with about 25 kilograms of plumes tied to their heads, jumped and danced.

Feather Dance

There was also magic, as a blindfolded woman danced across the stage in search of a needle given to one member of the 11,000-or-so people in the audience. Of course, she succeeded in finding it and danced her way back to the stage with her eyes still eyes covered.

Women from Oaxaca city then emerged, dancing with huge flower baskets on their heads that held giant puppets inside, only to be joined by all the performers before the festivities ended with a fireworks party.

The Guelaguetza also involves various activities throughout the month. In 2015, the local government
invited native vendors to participate in street bazaars while museums conducted cultural workshops and exhibitions.