Oxnard's Guelaguetza Festival returns to celebrate Mexico's indigenous communities
More than a thousand people are expected at a downtown Oxnard festival next week that will celebrate indigenous Mexican culture.
Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project, or MICOP, is bringing back its Guelaguetza Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 25 at Oxnard’s Plaza Park. The 14th annual event was last hosted in 2019.
“It’s about contributing to the visibility of indigenous people in Ventura County,” said Arcenio López, the organization’s executive director.
The festival — which takes its name from the Zapotec word for sharing ― is part of a larger celebration that has its roots in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca. The state’s eight regions have their own music, dance, clothing and art.
López said the state is home to 16 indigenous ethnic groups, and more than 20,000 members of those groups live in Ventura County.
At the free festival, guests can try a variety of foods, purchase indigenous arts and crafts, dance along to live bands or watch dancers perform traditional routines.
In 2019, female folk dancers called Chinas Oaxaqueñas opened up the festivities to the song "Jarabe del Valle." They wore flower-patterned dresses and long, flowing hats and carried baskets.
Similar groups led celebrations, parades and festivals in the state of Oaxaca, López said.
While the main Guelaguetza Festival in Oaxaca will draw in tourists from around the world next month, López said the event is still unknown to many Americans and Mexicans.
He encourages anyone who can trace their heritage to Oaxaca or those interested in learning about its culture to visit the festival.
“It may be the first time they participate in one of these festivals and learn about their state and its diversity,” López said.
Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at brian.varela@vcstar.com or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard's Guelaguetza Fest returns with indigenous flair
