Guelaguetza
20 July 2026 · movable holiday — I dance with pineapples for you – guelaguetza means a gift for a gift!
Guelaguetza is the biggest folk festival of Oaxaca, Mexico. The name comes from a Zapotec word meaning reciprocal exchange, mutual giving and help between people and communities. Its roots lie in old customs of the Indigenous peoples, and the festival took its present form during the 20th century. It is held on the two Mondays following 16 July, known as the “Mondays on the Hill” (Lunes del Cerro) after Cerro del Fortín, the hill in Oaxaca City where delegations from the eight regions of the state gather. They dance in rich traditional costumes, sing and toss gifts to the audience, such as fruit, bread and small crafts. The best-known dance is “Flor de Piña” (pineapple flower), in which women carry pineapples on their shoulders. The festival falls in the rainy season and celebrates community renewal. Its dates follow a calendar rule, so the day of the month changes from year to year.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver figure of a dancer made of luminous dots and fine lines like a constellation, carrying a tray of pineapples on her shoulder, her wide skirt swirling in glowing star-threads as she drifts across the night sky
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