The Tututepec Guelaguetza

For 47 years the people of Tututepec have been climbing the steep slope of El Cerro del Pájaro (Yuca Saa in Mixtec) for the guelaguetza. The mountain, located just outside of San Pedro Tututepec, is where a small Mixtec kingdom was first established in 357 A.D.

The Tututepec Guelaguetza always occurs on the first Monday after the second Monday of the dance festival in Oaxaca City. This year’s event, on August 8. featured traditional dancers from as far away as Ejutla and Huajuapan de León. The dancers were terrific and so is the view, but the climb up the mountain is difficult — I needed a lot of help.

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