The 25th Annual Fresno Guelaguetza celebration took place on Sept. 28 at Fresno City College.

The Guelaguetza is an annual celebration of Oaxaca’s rich cultural heritage, featuring traditional dance, music and food from the eight regions of Oaxaca, an indigenous state in southern Mexico. People from around the valley gathered to celebrate and connect with the culture and roots of the Oaxaca people.

The event was put on by Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño (CBDIO).

Judith Martinez, the project coordinator from CBDIO, expressed the importance of this event and that the whole meaning of Guelaguetza is “sharing” or “offering,” the word derives from the indigenous Mexican language Zapotec.

The tradition is continued in the valley at Fresno City College after the Madera Guelaguetza was cancelled in June due to recent immigration activity. However, the Fresno celebration continued despite the concerns.

“I think it’s important to show that we are here, organizing this event, showing our culture. Not having fear in our community, and even with a lot of stuff going on right now, we are just able to show the union of the community,” Martinez said.

Dance and music were played throughout the event, with many groups performing a variety of dances and songs from different communities, languages and dialects in Oaxaca. The group Llano Verde performed a dance as part of Mixteza from Oaxaca called Danza De Los Rubios. Miguel Diaz, a dancer in the group, explained a bit of the story behind their dance.

“The Rubios were essentially like cowboys taking the bulls through Mixteca, Oaxaca. And during their free time, they would dance, characters such as caporal, rubio, alvarado, and pachequito all hold specific meanings to represent the transfer of cattle and the dance of always being with the bull,” Diaz said.

The performers were dressed in a variety of traditional clothing that reflected their cultural roots and highlighted the importance of representing all regions and cultures.

Alma Martinez and Viri Cisneros with Oaxacan roots try to attend the event every year. 

“It’s important that we can show our kids where they come from, so they can be proud of their roots,” Martinez said.

Centro La Familia

Bringing the community together and highlighting the importance of celebrating Oaxacan culture also involves representing other indigenous and Latino communities. Angelica Perez-Flores, a representative from Centro La Familia advocacy services, spoke on the services offered to the community. Centro La Familia offers a range of support services, including legal assistance for immigration matters, mental health counseling and educational programs. 

“I think it’s important to understand that organizations that have been around Fresno County for a long time, we are talking about over 50 years of experience. Through that we have gained the trust of the community, we are those trusted messengers for their problems,” Perez-Flores said.

Perez-Florez believes that it is important to maintain a non-profit organization to assist with these legal processes outside of the government, as there is an added aspect of trust within the community.

“As a non-profit organization it’s important to us that the staff is from the community, so we understand the same community. We come from the same backgrounds and speak the same languages,” Perez-Florez said.

Arte Amèricas

The Guelaguetza featured some non-profit organizations allowing the Latino community to become aware of these resources. Brenda Gutierrez and Heriberto Campos-Melchor, representatives from Arte Amèricas, discussed the organization’s mission, which focuses on preserving Latino culture within the Central Valley. 

“In order to maintain our culture here, we must have our community showcase their own colors and be expressive with it,” Campos-Melchor said.