GUELAGUETZA OAXACA CITY TOUR
- Location: Oaxaca, Oaxaca
Join us on an exploration of vibrant Oaxaca through the streets, markets and celebrated landmarks of the city center. Taking in plazas, historic buildings, local legends, exquisite architecture and of course the fascinating world of Oaxaca’s markets.
We will explore both the Benito Juarez food market and the Mercado 20 de Noviembre craft market, where you can find all manner of produce and wares. We will sample some typical food & drinks, have a look at how chocolate is made, visit a Mezcal superstore, checkout the world famous ‘pasillo de humo’ (corridor of smoke) as well as help you understand the layout of the markets for future reference and shopping.
Before a nice lunch break, we will stop by Santo Domingo Church, one of the most celebrated in Oaxaca & Mexico.
Strolling around the streets of Oaxaca will open your appetite, and so we will make a stop in La Cosecha Market. It is open air and very clean as opposed to the main city markets and was setup to showcase the food from different regions of the state, which you can choose from the different vendors that surround a common eating area.
To finish the day, we will drive to a nearby community where you will dive in the Guelaguetza event, where you will be able to watch the traditional festival, filled with dances and stunning textiles from different Oaxacan regions.
WHAT IS GUELAGUETZA ?
The Guelaguetza is a festival which is celebrated in Oaxaca in the month of July, but the meaning of “Guelaguetza” goes far beyond the actual festival. The true meaning of
Guelaguetza has to do with the members of a community coming together and sharing their cultural heritage and all the things that make them unique. GuelaguetzaThe word Guelaguetza means “offering” in Zapotec, and implies a reciprocal exchange between parties. In the Guelaguetza festival, also known as “Los Lunes del Cerro” (Mondays on the Hill), representatives of the different regions of Oaxaca come together wearing their traditional clothing, and they perform the dances which are particular to their region. After they dance, they distribute gifts to the crowd: fruit, baskets, candy, mezcal, tamales and other local goods. This festival is a grand celebration of the cooperative sharing that takes place in every day life in Oaxaca.
La Guelaguetza takes place in Oaxaca city, but there are other Guelaguetzas held in various villages throughout the valley. These more informal celebrations of the Guelaguetza probably bear more resemblance to the way the festival was originally celebrated. This is not so much a show, but a time for people to come together and enjoy one another’s presence, their culture and food. The Guelaguetza lasts for several hours and here people come and go throughout the presentation. The Guelaguetza is a festival of music, costumes, dances, and food, but it’s also a celebration of the mutual interdependence of people within a community. It’s a moment when Oaxacan culture can be appreciated at its best. In these days of Guelaguetza we will be showing the most beautiful and important places and festivities in Oaxaca, mixing the tours that we already have organized with the most important party of the year in Oaxaca, visiting the Guelaguetza in its most original form.
TOUR PROGRAM
Pick up between 10am and 11am.
Markets (mole, chocolate, crickets, mezcal, bread)
Santo Domingo Church
Oaxaca City
Lunch in organic Market
Guelaguetza in community 5:00 pm
Drop off between 8pm and 9pm.
INCLUDED :
Mexico Kan Tours Guide to guide you through the culture & customs of the celebration
All entrance fees
Transportation with A/C
Pick up and drop off at your accommodation in Oaxaca City
All activities described in description
Lunch, Snacks and Drinks
IMPORTANT TO KNOW :
Participants:
Kids minimum Age : 8 years old.
Pick Up Time :
Please be aware that we will communicate your pick up time via a personalized email and it will vary from the automatic pick up time sent by the booking platform as we have to calculate it manually depending on your hotel/airbnb location.
Minimum Participants:
Most of our group tours require a minimum of 4 people to run the tour. If we do not hit this minimum, we reserve the right to cancel the tour, in which case we will contact you to offer an alternative tour or send a refund.
Cancellation Policy:
Each tour should be booked by paying a deposit.
In case of cancellation more than 24 hrs before the pickup, we do not charge you any cost and will give you back your deposit.
In case of cancellation between 24 and 12 hrs before the pickup México Kan Tours will take your deposit in order to pay for the costs already made.
In case of cancellation less than 12 hrs before the pick up or in case of no show we will charge you 100% of the total amount of your tour.
Payments:
Credit card payments have a fee up to 7% depending on Credit Cards. We recommend bringing cash.
Our prices are in USD. Please be aware that we work with a monthly based exchange rate for Payments in Pesos or Euros.
When you book your tour, you will receive a confirmation email with all the details.