| OXNARD — Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) is inviting the public to its annual Oxnard Guelaguetza Festival, which will be held on June 23, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Plaza Park in Oxnard: 500 S. C Street, Oxnard, CA, 93030.
MICOP was founded in 2001 “to support, organize, and empower the Indigenous immigrant community in California’s Central Coast.” MICOP serves over 12,000 unduplicated Indigenous migrant men, women, and children annually across Santa Barbara, Ventura & San Luis Obispo County. MICOP organizes and trains the indigenous migrant community to become self-sufficient and successful members of the broader community.
Oaxaca state in southern Mexico is renowned for its vibrant culture, music, art, and dance of its huge indigenous population. Each of the state’s eight regions has distinct music, dance, clothing, and art. The Guelaguetza festival is Oaxaca’s biggest and most popular cultural and ethnic celebration in Mexico. It began in Oaxaca City in 1932 as a way to unite the cultures of Oaxaca State (of which the Mixtecos are one) in a joint celebration of their varied, rich cultures.
MICOP celebrated its first Guelaguetza in Oxnard in September 2007. It drew 500 people to an amphitheater in Oxnard to witness the spectacle of a large brass banda (who played each of the region’s unique songs), and several dozen dancers performing the unique dances of each of Oaxaca’s eight regions. Vendors sold traditional food and art. The event was a great success—much loved by all who attended—and it is becoming a popular annual event that draws thousands of Ventura County residents, music lovers, musicians, dancers, academics, and more.
This year, Festival Guelaguetza will feature music and danzas tradicionales(traditional dances) by groups such as:
Oaxacreations Monos de Calenda
Princesa Donaji Grupo Folklorico
Grupo Folklorico Huaxyacac
Las Chinas Oaxaqueñas “Las Isabeles”
Maqueos Music Banda Filarmónica
Ballet Folklorico Nueva Antequera
Los Elegidos de Asis
Danza de los Diablos: Nueva Union
MICOP is bringing this magnificent Oaxacan cultural event to downtown Oxnard in Plaza Park on June 23, 2024. Families will enjoy delicious Oaxacan cuisine and witness traditional dances reflecting the eight regions of Oaxaca. Make sure to join us!
We welcome donations to make this event possible. Please send checks to “MICOP” with “Oxnard Guelaguetza Festival” in the memo to P.O. Box 20543, Oxnard, CA 93034, or donate online at www.mixteco.org/donate.
For more information please contact Arcenio J. López at (805) 822 – 2418 or email arcenio.lopez@mixteco.org |
