Guelaguetza

Festival Location: Oaxaca, Mexico

Festival Type(s): Traditional Festivals , Cultural Festivals , Religious Events

Festival Photos of Guelaguetza: gallery 1

The Exciting Guelaguetza - The Epitome of Mexican Festivals

by © Habeeb Salloum 2008

"You should be here in July when we hold our annual Guelaguetza. It's the most beautiful festival in the world." My Zapotec Indian taxi driver in Oaxaca, capital of Mexico's most colourful state, exuded pride as he talked about his state's national dance extravaganza. He went on, "It reflects the culture of my people, still alive and well after centuries of forced conversions and assimilation. The missionaries tried to destroy our gods, but they come alive during the festivities of Lunes del Cerro under the mask of a Christian God."

My curiosity was aroused, but July had long gone and I soon forgot the taxi driver's words - until one day I picked up a brochure advertising a mini-Guelaguetza in the Camino Real Hotel, a former convent which had been converted into a luxury hotel. I was delighted, looking forward to seeing a replica of the state of Oaxaca's top festive event.

That night, after shopping in a typical handicraft tianguis (market) set up in the hotel, we enjoyed a delicious dinner buffet of Oaxacan specialities. Sated, we sipped on drinks while waiting in the La Capilla, the former convent's chapel, for the dancers.

Suddenly, the stage burst into colour as women dancers, dressed in flowered blouses and skirts coquettishly circled the men, in sparkling white and red costumes. For an hour and a half, group after group preformed the state of Oaxaca's traditional dances. In all colours of the rainbow, they radiated exotica in a seducing fashion. With pottery, fruit and silky, brightly coloured skirts, the ladies brought the traditions of Oaxaca's Indian past alive.

All the dances were exciting and very picturesque. However, my favourite was the dance from the Alto Papaloapan Tuxtepec, the tropical region of Oaxaca, bathed by the waters of the Papaloapan River. Called, Flor de Piña (Flower of the Pineapple), it was performed by beautiful women who live among jasmine, tulips and many fruits of that torrid region. The spectacle, with the dancers carrying large pineapples on their shoulders, represented the happiness resulting from a plentiful pineapple harvest. It was breathtaking in its colours, costumes and smiles.

The evening ended with the Danza de la Pluma (Dance of the Feather), symbolizing the Zapotec/Mixtec fight against the Spaniards. Men dressed as warriors with imposing feather headdresses, stamped their feet in haughty pride. It was as if the warriors were readying themselves for battle. Manly and inspiring in its aura, it was a fitting end to the mini-Guelaguetza performance.

At the end of a number of the dances, as happens during the grand July Guelaguetza, the performers threw some of their regional products into the audience - mostly tourists. Emilio, an American visitor sitting beside me, caught a hand-carved coral necklace thrown by an attractive dancer. The next day, when I asked him why he was still wearing the necklace, he looked at me starry-eyed, "I will always keep it near my heart, remembering that lovely dancer and the fantastic evening."

Of course, the performance not only touched Emilio's soul, but left with all our group indelible memories - a lasting admiration for the magic of Oaxaca and its people. There was no doubt that a good number would one day return in July to glory in the Guelaguetza - Oaxaca's epitome of festivals.

The Guelaguetza is a Zapotec word which means gift or mutual offering, a custom that the Indians of Oaxaca have practised, as a symbol of participating in society, since the beginning of their history.

Originally, the Zapotec, Mixtec and Aztec Indians of Oaxaca held the Guelaguetza as a ceremony to honour their gods, especially the corn goddess, Centeótl. In pre-Hispanic times, for many centuries, it was held at the same time of the year in the same place, atop a hill overlooking today's city of Oaxaca. The people came here to beseech their gods for rain, bountiful harvests and prolific families.

When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, Franciscans and Dominicans prohibited the worship of Centeótl and destroyed the altar of that goddess which was situated in what is called today Cerro del Fortín. In its place, the missionaries erected a Catholic church dedicated to the Virgen del Nonte Carmelo. They attempted to change the nature of what continued to be a semi-pagan festival to a Catholic feast, honouring the Virgin Mary.

During the 188Os, the celebrations were totally banned. However, the people still came to the same place on the same dates and had their own private observances. Eventually the whole population generally accepted these gatherings.

In 1932 on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the city of Oaxaca, representatives paid homage to the capital from all the regions of the state. They put on a great festival of dancing, music and singing. The dances made a great impact of the Oaxacans who decided to repeat them, at the Cerro del Fortín, during the festivals of the Lunes del Cerro.

After 1953, the dances and the festivities of Lunes del Cerro were united into the Guelaguetza we know today. In 1974, a huge auditorium with a capacity of some 12,000, was inaugurated. Called the Auditorio Guelaguetza, it is a modern immense stone structure, situated near the Pan-American Highway on the exact spot, overlooking the city, where the Indians worshipped their gods. It was built to hold the central event of the festivities - the dances by the representatives of all the regions in the state.

When the auditorium opened, the celebrations turned out to be a huge success, drawing thousands of people from all over Mexico and beyond. Through the years, during the festival, the crowds have grown steadily. Always, Oaxaca becomes very crowded and one cannot find an empty room in town.

Held annually in the auditorium the first two Mondays after July 16th, the Guelaguetza is available to all strata of society. The front two sections are quite costly - about $35 a seat. However, the larger back two sections are free - usually standing room only.

On the other hand, the Guelaguetza held in the auditorium is only one of the activities which commemorates both the Aztec corn goddess Centeótl and the Christian Virgen del Carmen. Beginning Saturday, the immense party, one of the most spectacular in all of Central America, is accompanied by many other parallel activities.

Opened by fireworks, the festival begins in the Plaza de la Danza. Sprinkled with non-Mexican visitors, the hordes of participants, many speaking only Indian dialects, dance away the day in a flurry of colourful pageantry. The plazas and streets of the whole city become a mass of humanity chatting, singing and dancing.

One of the highlights of the activities is the election on Sunday, during the day, in the Central Plaza, of the representative of the goddess Centeótl, chosen by the women of the region's delegations who best know the traditions of their towns. Later in the evening, the play Bani Stui Gulal (repetition from antiquity), the history of Lunes del Cerro is performed.

However, the Guelaguetza overshadows all other festivities. Dancers, representing the seven regions of the state: the Central Valleys, the Sierra Juarez, the Cañada, Tuxtepec, the Mixtec, the Coast and the Istmo de Tehuantepec, converge on the city.

They come in their flamboyant, glittering authentic costumes, fashioned from silk, gold and lace. Bright red sashes and shawls, coral necklaces, elaborate earrings and colourful hair ribbons enhance their outfits. These add a rich taste to their exotic cultural heritage, presented through their ancient traditional dances.

On Monday at 10 A.M., the Guelaguetza begins in the auditorium with a parade of chirimias (a type of clarinet), giant heads, giants and giant-headed dwarfs, followed by the passage of the modest women of Oaxaca, the women of the markets, the Oaxacan refrain and the Jarabe (type of dance) of the Oaxacan Valley. This is followed by the elaborate regional dances accompanied by traditional music.

With their gala multi-coloured costumes, fruit baskets and pottery, they put on an intense show of cheerfulness, talent and tradition. At the end of each dance, the group throw their products into the crowd - the most spectacular is when the dancers from the Papaloapan region throw whole pineapples into the audience, usually driving the fans wild.

All during the performances there is a circus atmosphere with vendors trying to sell their drinks, snacks and souvenirs amid the mixture of music and the excited chatter of the spectators. The sound level is awesome - not conducive to restful enjoyment.

In the afternoon, the Guelaguetza ends with a representation of the legend of the Zapotec princess Donaji who suffers a tragic fate for refusing to betray her people. The next day and, until the following Monday, there are gastronomic and handcraft exhibitions, art shows, concerts and other cultural events. On the second Monday, the Guelaguetza with its side events, held on the first Monday, is repeated.

There is no doubt that for travellers who are fortunate enough to take part in the Lunes del Cerro festivities, it will be one of the most memorable events they will recall about their visit to Oaxaca, yearly offering it's Guelaguetza to the world.

by Habeeb Salloum

Festival Photos of Guelaguetza: gallery 1