‘Celebrate our traditions,’ Fresno City College hosts 25th annual Fresno Guelaguetza

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) -Hundreds of people turned out for the annual Fresno Guelaguetza festival, highlighting the culture of the Oaxacan Region. 

The word Guelaguetza translates to sharing or giving, with celebrations dating back thousands of years in Oaxaca, Mexico. Today, that tradition is kept alive here in the Valley.

Fresno City College was packed as the community came together to celebrate the 25th annual Oaxacan Festival.

“People throughout the day can observe traditional dances from the State of Oaxaca, but also enjoy traditional food from the State of Oaxaca,” said Sarait Martinez, Executive Director of Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., dancers and musicians from across the state took the stage. Stefani Hernandez and her folklorico group came from Los Angeles.

“We come from immigrant parents, and basically we just want a piece of home, and we get to experience that here in Oaxaca, California,” Hernandez shared. 

She says it’s beautiful seeing the indigenous tradition and culture kept alive. “It also helps, like the younger generation, just be proud of where they come from, and connect with their culture, and like just see where their parents come from,” Hernandez added.

Events like these are held across the state, and even here in the valley. Back in June, the Madera Guelaguetza was cancelled over fears of immigration law enforcement. 

But Martinez says cancelling was not an option. “Our communities are under attack, and we know this across the nation. But today is a day to celebrate our traditions and culture and to say to the Fresno community that there’s a big population of indigenous Oaxacan communities in Fresno,” she explained. 

Martinez adds that today also opens the doors for those who aren’t familiar but want to learn more about the Oaxacan people.

“I really do hope that people who may not know much about Oaxacan or like Latinos or indigenous peoples of the understand that we’re not, you know, criminals and how we’re painted out to be,” said Juarez, another of the dancers.

And attendees immersed themselves in the Oaxacan culture today, admiring the dances and, of course, trying new food. “They were so delicious,” said festival goer Roxanna Bernel. 

Bernel and her friends are Spanish speakers, and even they learned something new. “Mexico has a lot of languages, but not everything is a language because of Oaxaca, they speak a lot of dialects, but nothing is written, so she learned a cool, fun fact.”

Last year, the festival saw more than 8,000 visitors. Organizers believe Sunday’s event surpassed that number.