Every year the people of Oaxaca celebrate their most important tradition–Los Lunes del Cerro, literally, The Mondays on the Hill.  This festival, Prehispanic in origin, is based on the worship of the Corn Goddess, Centeotl and the relationship between the people of Oaxaca and the hill Cerro Fortín. 

Today, Los Lunes del Cerro has evolved into a grand fiesta which occurs on the 2 Mondays following the 16th of July, the Feast Day of the Virgin of Carmen. The Guelaguetza, a huge folkloric festival, is presented on these two Mondays.  During this celebration, music and dance flow together as representatives from the 7 different ethnic regions of the State of Oaxaca perform.  These regions include the Isthmus, Sierra, La Cañada, Mixteca, Tuxtepec, Central and Coast and Valley.

Something that few Oaxacans know is that ‘Guelaguetza’ is a Zapotec word that means help, cooperation and reciprocity. The importance of these values to the people of Oaxaca explains the choice of the name Guelaguetza for the festival. The Guelaguetza was presented for the first time in 1932 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the City of Oaxaca. On this occasion they called it “Homage to Racial Diversity.” The people of Oaxaca and many visitors gather in the Guelaguetza auditorium on top of Cerro Fortín to enjoy the colorful festival which lasts about 4 hours.

 Outside, on the steps leading to the auditorium, are a vast number of stands which sell indigenous food and beverages such as tepache, a drink made from fermented pineapples.  There are also ample opportunities to purchase interesting souvenirs.

We also have the Guelaguetza  Festival in small towns near Oaxaca City like Cuilapam, Zaachila, Zimatlan and San Antonino Castillo  Velasco.