China to be honored guest at 35th Festival Cervantino in Guanajuato
A Real Treasure in the Sierra Madre
There
are several exhibitions of popular culture in Mexico, but there is nothing like
the Huastecan Festival (Festival de la Huasteca). Since 1996, this festival has included cultural
manifestations and exchanges from the region, such as distinctive Huapango music and dance.
And because the Huastecan region
in the northeastern part of Mexico is centered on the watershed of the Panuco River and includes parts of the states of Hidalgo,
Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz, it still has many areas
of virgin rain forests making it a destination for people who enjoy such outdoor
activities as rafting, kayaking, rappelling and spelunking in caverns.
This year, the town of Xilitla, located 3,281 feet up the slopes of
the SierraMadreMountains in the State of San Luis Potosi will
host its XIII Festival from August 28th -31th, omplete with Huapangueadas (a
singing and dancing spectacle of Huapango lasting
several hours). The festival also includes book and CD presentations, as well
as workshops on Huapango, including the study of some
of its typical instruments-- the violin and the Veracruzan
guitar known as jarana.
The Huapango is a rhythmic genre performed by
instrumental ensembles ranging from a duo of guitars to a full mariachi band.
It is danced by men and women as couples, but only the men sing, often with a
falsetto voice. A very well known piece of classical music is the “Huapango”, by the Mexican composer Jose Pablo Moncayo.
In addition to its Huastecan heritage and
awe-inspiring landscape, Xilitla is also famous for
the Briton Edward James mock-Gothic house and fantasy garden composed of
natural cascades and pools, bridges, winding walkways, miniature animal houses
and concrete sculptures.
The five million dollar house and garden, built between 1949
and 1984, are now a park you can visit all week long.
