The Art of Guelaguetza

In the Southern area of Mexico, the State of Oaxaca is known for its rich cultural traditions. One of the most iconic is the Guelaguetza, a dance festival held during July that celebrates the eight regions of Oaxaca with traditional dance and costumes.

During this time the City of Oaxaca becomes alive with parades featuring the dancers leading up to the actual performances “On the Hill” in the Guelaguetza Auditorium. This year’s parades demonstrated the pride of Oaxaqueños heard throughout the night with joyous cries of “Viva Oaxaca!” In the manner of the call and response tradition, it was always answered, “Viva!” And that is what this is, a joyful life.

The word Guelaguetza comes from the Zapotec language that is heard in Oaxaca meaning “giving back,” and if you are fortunate to attend the dances you will notice that each group of dancers will throw small gifts from their regions into the crowd after their performances. As the parade passed by, onlookers were excited to catch these small gifts thrown by the parade participants. Of course, most were also very excited to have a small taste of mezcal poured by the participants as they passed by.

Local bands are interspersed throughout the parade to ensure that each group has the traditional music that accompanies each dance.

All photos/video by Linda Marston-Reid Copyright © 2023.