Mexico City - The Head of Government, Martí Batres Guadarrama, announced a new record for the IX Festival of Indigenous Cultures, Original Peoples and Neighborhoods of Mexico City, which from August 4 to 20 brought together one million 435 thousand visitors to the capital's Zócalo, a figure that exceeds the number of attendees of previous editions.
"We achieved a new record during the IX Festival of Indigenous Cultures, Indigenous Peoples and Neighborhoods of Mexico City, with the attendance of one million 400 thousand people in the capital's Zócalo, from August 4 until today," shared the capital's president on his social networks.
Martí Batres highlighted the cultural diversity of Mexico City, and reaffirmed the commitment of the capital's government to protect the rights and inclusion of indigenous communities, original peoples and neighborhoods.
"We are a City that pays homage to our roots and opens spaces for cultural richness to express itself. In this way we reaffirm our anti-colonialist, anti-racist vision and vindicate our glorious past, which is also the present. Long live the indigenous peoples!" he added.
The last day of the Fiesta began at 12:00 noon on Sunday, on the main stage with the Oaxacan Monumental Band, composed of around 300 members belonging to 11 orchestras from different regions of Oaxaca, which made national and foreign audiences of all ages dance to the rhythms of sones and jarabes from that southern Mexican state.
At 5:00 p.m., attendees gathered on the same stage to enjoy traditional dances by the Citlacalli group; an hour later, the Carnaval Triqui Candelaria group bid farewell to the celebration with the colors and joy of their typical costumes and traditional music.
This weekend you could also enjoy music concerts with Osoxe Muluk and Zuvuya, DJs who experiment with traditional sounds, ethno-electronic, world music and improvisation sessions; the rock band of the Comca'ac people Hamac Caziim, as well as the multidisciplinary show "Mexico, the navel of the moon" and traditional dance with Benhe Sshinh.
In the Circle of Knowledge, topics of interest to the native populations were analyzed through talks on "Strategic litigation and linguistic rights of resident indigenous communities", "Social networks to weave community and intangible cultural heritage" and "Discrimination and indigenous people in Mexico City".
Bilingual stories and poems were also read and the workshop "A right of native peoples and neighborhoods of Mexico City, herbalism for children" was held.
For more than two weeks, Mexico City's Zócalo was filled with traditional Mexican aromas and flavors with dishes such as mole, cemitas, tlayudas, cecina or tamales. Colors, materials and shapes also adorned the Historic Center with handicrafts ranging from textiles, kitchen utensils, jewelry and sculptures.
This year, the guests of honor at the festival were Colombia; the municipality of Tingambato, Michoacán; and eight neighborhoods of Iztapalapa (San Lucas, San Pablo, San Pedro, San José, Asunción, Santa Bárbara, San Ignacio and San Miguel), which offered the public samples of their wisdom, art, gastronomy and culture.
Visitors were also able to learn more about traditional indigenous medicine from chiropractors, healers, masseurs and herbalists who were part of the wide variety of cultural offerings.
The Fiesta de las Culturas Indígenas, Pueblos y Barrios Originarios de la Ciudad de México is a cultural event that seeks to make visible, value, raise awareness and publicize the indigenous cultural richness of our country, in addition to promoting the rights of indigenous peoples.