La Guelaguetza « July « Somewhere in the world today…

Dark legends of beautiful Princesses in Mexico.

When: Last 2 Mondays in July.
Where: Oaxaca city, Oaxaca, Mexico.

A massive cultural event in the Mexican festival calendar, La Guelaguetza combines two old colonial festivals – the Festival of the Virgin del Carmen Alto and Mondays on the Hill (Los Lunes del Cerro). This cornerstone of Mexican festivities involves re-enactments of legends such as the legend of Princess Donají, daughter of the Zapotecan King Cosijoeza.

The legend is a sad tale of a Zapotec Princess taken as a hostage by the Mixtecs to end a war. When the Zapotecs continued to attack she was decapitated and her body and head buried separately. The Zapotecs never told where her head was buried, but one day a young shepherd was digging up a lily flower and he found the head perfectly preserved. The Princess’s head and body were reunited and buried in the temple of Cuilapam.

The name of the festival, La Guelaguetza, is Zapotecan for the making of offerings or gifts. It celebrates traditional music, dance, costume, craft and gastronomy from the eight regions in the state of Oaxaca.

Oaxaca Food & Drink

Oaxaca is renown for its vibrant, inventive and rich moles (sauces). There are at least seven varieties of mole made in the region but the most famous is the mole negro made with chocolate. Try our tasty Chicken Mole Negro recipe. Slam Tequila with salt and lime! Or drink Sol or Corona beer with a slice of lime.

Travel to Mexico

Head for the Auditorio Guelaguetza, Oaxaca city, Oaxaca, Mexico. Book flights and hotels with ebookers.com.

From travel books and holiday reading to binoculars and
sunglasses you can find everything you need for an amazing trip
on Amazon.

And don’t forget the camera!

Enjoy your trip! And when you get home we’d love you to come back and tell us all about it!

Mexican Pinata

No Mexican fiesta is complete without a pinata! The 7 point star is traditional but there are lots of other deisgns to choose from. Fill it with sweets and take turns to bash it with a stick until they all fall out!