The Guelaguetza continues. A story about the fellowship lunch that supports village festivals

Hello, I am a monkey living in Oaxaca.

August has arrived in the blink of an eye!

The official Guelaguetza in July is over, but the village Guelaguetzas will continue from here on out. (I feel like they are happening somewhere all year round. Haha)

They are often held in various places to coincide with saint festivals.

The one closest to Oaxaca City that is easy to get to is the Tlacolula village Guelaguetza, held on Saturday, August 22nd.

I visit every year, and it is one of my recommendations.

Now, the flow of a village Guelaguetza is generally set.

Before the Guelaguetza begins in the evening, there is a Comida de la Hermandad (fellowship lunch).

It is a lunch party where the invited dance groups from each village, the organizers, and the villagers eat together.

After that, everyone parades to the venue, and the Guelaguetza begins.

The other day, on Sunday, August 2nd, I went to the Guelaguetza in Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz (hereinafter Miahuatlán) which is about 2 hours from Oaxaca City.

I headed there from Oaxaca City with members of the local press.
They were quite a colorful group, so I will write about that in another article.

Miahuatlán is also a place famous for being a mezcal production area.

Not only food, but mezcal is also offered one after another.

The container the mezcal is in! The attention to detail is amazing!

Mezcal is an essential part of festivals.

It is served not only among the performers but also to people along the road and the audience.

Or rather, there are times when I think the performers couldn't get through it without drinking because it's such a long day. (No offense intended)

By the way, when I was invited to the San Jacinto Amilpas Guelaguetza and fellowship lunch in July, the organizers gave me various goods.

There was a whole bottle of mezcal inside, so I thought, 'Is this a souvenir?' but it wasn't. Haha

It was mezcal to be served to people along the road during the parade and festival.
It even came with small cups.

Usually I'm on the receiving end,
but this time, I had the big responsibility of being the one serving mezcal!!

I was so excited and full of motivation. Haha

Getting carried away, I was happily calling out to people along the road,
"Quieres mezcal? (Do you want some mezcal?)"
and asking everyone I saw.

You'd think everyone in Mexico or Oaxaca drinks mezcal, right?

But surprisingly, many people turn it down.
What a shock. Haha

Maybe it's because the alcohol content is around 45-50%.

Anyway, let's get back to the food.

The menu for this social meal was incredible.

The content varies from village to village.

On this day, just for appetizers, they served memelas, tostadas, sangrita, and consommé.

And the main course was goat barbacoa.

It was quite luxurious.

Some villages only serve one dish, or sometimes just a torta (Mexican sandwich).

Since only the main course was brought out, I asked the person next to me, "Do you think there are tortillas?"

"I don't think so."

No way, that can't be right, I thought with mysterious confidence. Haha

This is Oaxaca, Mexico.

I asked the server, "Excuse me, do you have tortillas?" and they brought some for me♪

If you're eating barbacoa, aren't tortillas essential?

Now, from here on, I will upload photos of the dishes I've eaten at village social dinners and dinners after the Guelaguetza ends.

When people think of Mexico, they have a strong image of tacos, but that's not all there is.

Based on my experience so far, the most common menu items for festival meals are:

Carnitas (like pork confit)
Barbacoa (in Oaxaca, it's a meat stew dish)
and perhaps mole (everything from negro to estofado).

I was surprised that the carnitas tacos at the Santiaguito Etla festival were apparently ordered by the organizers from a local taco shop, which came to the venue to cater.

Moreover, it was one of the best I've had in recent years.

Carnitas tacos are just delicious.

Even for the same Guelaguetza, the food varies completely from village to village.

The joy of the festival isn't just the dancing.

Being able to encounter village dishes you've never eaten before is also a huge appeal.

*I think some dish names might be hard to understand, so if there's a dish you're curious about, please ask in the comments.

▼ Click here for articles on the Guelaguetza village festivals in Oaxaca I've visited so far.