Lunes del Cerro Festival in Mexico

Los lunes del cerro or Guelaguetza is an annual cultural festival that is most well known outside the state of Oaxaca and Mexico as taking place in the city of Oaxaca, capital of the state of Oaxaca in Mexico. In fact the festival also takes place in town centers all over the state of Oaxaca at about the same time. The festival involves parades complete with walking bands and the marketing of food, statewide artisanal production, and souvenirs, but centers on dancing in costume in groups, often groups of only one sex. Each costume and dance usually has a local historical and cultural meaning. Although the celebration is an important tourist attraction, especially in the capital city of Oaxaca, it also retains significant independent cultural importance for the people of the state.

Crowds at Lunes del Cerro

These traditions have survived for centuries, like the Dance of the Turtle of the Isthmus, the Danza de la Pluma de Mitla, which dramatizes the struggle between Montezuma and Cortes, the dance choreography of La Flor de Piña Papaloapan, and more than 200 events combine an unforgettable mosaic of aromas and colors that promote identity, diversity and cultural richness of Oaxaca. Each year involving the Guelaguetza Infantil, Children’s Symphony Orchestra of Mexico City and a state guest. There are events like the Festival of the Seven Moles, National Mezcal Festival, the Tamale Festival, and many more daily activities are dozens of artistic, cultural and sporting activities.