Las Fiestas de la Guelaguetza 2011 en Oaxaca

Las Fiestas de la Guelaguetza 2011 en Oaxaca, un álbum en Flickr.

Era espléndido el retumbo causado por los gritos, el imparable ajetreo del aplauso, el gozo expresado en los miles de rostros venidos de todos lados, de la vecina Puebla, del Distrito Federal, del Norte y más allá, de una multitud incansable que disfrutó una Guelaguetza como no se había visto en los últimos años.

Guelaguetza which is the Zapotec word for “offering” was a pre-Columbian tradition here in the middle of the rainy season (July) to make offerings to the Gods so that they would continue the rains for a bountiful harvest. According to history, when the Spanish were converting the indigenous people into Catholicism, they tied the pagan Guelaguetza ritual/festival with the celebration of Saint Carmen Alto since they were around the same time. Now, the Guelaguetza has morphed into a celebration of all of Oaxaca’s indigenous people, traditions, food, mezcal, you name name it.