CULTURAL FESTIVALS
Off the beaten path: Mexico's best cultural festivals
Mexico's Artsy San Miguel de Allende
Frida Kahlo Exhibit, Mexico City
Many Americans visiting Mexico never venture beyond their palapas, or grass-roofed beach huts, at such popular resorts as Puerto Vallarta, Cancún or Los Cabos.
But for more adventuresome and curious travelers, Mexico offers an array of colorful festivals. Most combine Catholic ritual with indigenous practices, offering visitors an intimate view of Mexican ceremonies and celebrations. Here's a sampling of the country's finest festivals and cultural events, including the best places to enjoy them.
JANUARY
January Fair and the Festival of San Sebastián the Martyr
Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas: Despite its origins, this spirited festival is more merrymaking than martyrdom. Highlights of the Fiesta de enero, or January Fair, are hundreds of Parachicos masked dancers sporting exotic wigs, and special dishes. The fair starts in mid-January, and festivities culminate in a staged naval battle on the river Grijalva and a fabulous fireworks display on Jan. 21.
Tip: Accommodations are limited in Chiapa de Corzo, so plan to stay in Tuxtla Gutiérrez (nine miles west). www.travelchiapas.com
FEBRUARY
Candelaria (Candlemas)
San Miguel de Allende: This celebration, marking the midpoint (Feb. 2) between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, is a hybrid of Catholic and indigenous rituals. Juárez Park is a profusion of color with a huge weeklong plant sale.
Tip: Stay at one of San Miguel's many B&Bs, such as Casa de la Cuesta, where your hosts help you gain insider information about cultural festivals. www.internetsanmiguel.com
Veracruz Carnival
Veracruz, Veracruz: Carnaval kicks off with the Quema del Mal Humor, the burning in effigy of bad humor. Daily parades with imaginative floats, coronations of a queen, an ugly king and child king, dances and riotous concerts follow. Gyrating dancers, revelers in outlandish garb, and noisy musicians fill the streets. On Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, the celebrations end with the burial of Juan Carnaval, the symbol of wanton excess and revelry, as the abstinence of Lent begins.
Tip: West Coast residents might find cheaper flights to La Paz or Mazatlán, where they celebrate carnival with similar excess. www.carnaval.com/city
MARCH/APRIL
Palm Sunday Folk Art Market
Uruapan, Michoacán: The largest open-air folk art market in Mexico starts the weekend of Palm Sunday. On Saturday morning, artisans in native dress parade through town to the central plaza, where a week of selling begins.
Tip: The finest handicrafts can be found at the Concurso, a juried exhibition. www.michoacan-travel.com
Holy Week
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato: Palm Sunday is celebrated with a procession from the Parque Juárez down Sollano Street to the Parroquia church. The week culminates in a Good Friday re-enactment of Christ's persecution in the central plaza. San Miguel's many churches hold extravagant paschal Masses on Saturday evening. In the late morning, people crowd in to watch as papier-mâché figures of Judas, rigged with firecrackers and suspended from wires above the plaza, are exploded.
Tip: Book at least six months in advance; the week before
APRIL/MAY
San Marcos Fair
Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes: Among the oldest in Mexico, the San Marcos Fair is also one of the country's largest and loudest. Beginning in mid-April, this agricultural fair runs for three weeks and features spectacular fireworks displays and a wine pavilion.
Tip: Like many state fairs, this festival covers a large area, so wear good walking shoes. www.aguascalientes.gob.mx
JULY
The Guelaguetza
Oaxaca City, Oaxaca: For lovers of folk music and dance, attending Guelaguetza is an incomparable experience. The modern festival's main attraction is a folk dance competition at the open-air auditorium on Fortin Hill. The Guelaguetza takes place every year on the first two Mondays after the feast of St. Carmen on July 16. For 2009, the dates are July 20 and 27.
Tip: Make sure to catch the Calenda, a colorful musical procession through the city on the Saturday before the first Guelaguetza. www.go-oaxaca.com
SEPTEMBER
International Mariachi and Charro Festival
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