The Annual Guanajuato International Cervantino Arts Festival started this week. It's been crazy. Guanajuato's population has increased significantly over the past few days, and it's noticeable. By about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the streets are filled with performers and tourists. Walking anywhere has become an incredible task that requires a lot of strategy. Guanajuato has been preparing for this for a long time and it shows. There are new restaurants all over the place, and the ones that already existed have gotten face lifts. There were artisan shops in the city, but now they are displaying their wares in the street and the amount of goods has increased dramatically. The street food vendors are out in full force selling tacos, gorditas, tamales, fruit, ice cream. The city is embracing this opportunity wholeheartedly.
The most impressive part of this whole festival has been the incredible diversity that it brings to the city. As I walk down the street or pause in the midst of a crowd, I hear people speaking Spanish, English, French, German, Chinese, you name it. There are artists, singers, musicians, dancers, and actors from all over the world that have come to Guanajuato for the next three weeks.
So far, I love Cervantino. I spent this afternoon walking around the Centro trying to take it all in. In one afternoon, I watched part of a opera/puppet show by performers from the Czech Republic, a clown who had the crowd roaring, a group of musicians who played music that was mostly about revolution and drugs but had the younger crowd dancing along to their music, several teenagers break-dancing, and a group of living statues. I also discovered a new market that had so many different types of people selling things that it blew my mind. I guess I've always grouped Mexican people into the categories of "indigenous" and "not indigenous," but this market had the potheads, the goths, the indigenous, the artisans, the families...you get the idea. There was so much to look at, buy or have pierced or tattooed.
I'm so excited about the next few weeks! I'm planning on spending the majority of my free time walking around, going back to the market, listening to the street performers and just watching the world come to me. What an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
The most impressive part of this whole festival has been the incredible diversity that it brings to the city. As I walk down the street or pause in the midst of a crowd, I hear people speaking Spanish, English, French, German, Chinese, you name it. There are artists, singers, musicians, dancers, and actors from all over the world that have come to Guanajuato for the next three weeks.
So far, I love Cervantino. I spent this afternoon walking around the Centro trying to take it all in. In one afternoon, I watched part of a opera/puppet show by performers from the Czech Republic, a clown who had the crowd roaring, a group of musicians who played music that was mostly about revolution and drugs but had the younger crowd dancing along to their music, several teenagers break-dancing, and a group of living statues. I also discovered a new market that had so many different types of people selling things that it blew my mind. I guess I've always grouped Mexican people into the categories of "indigenous" and "not indigenous," but this market had the potheads, the goths, the indigenous, the artisans, the families...you get the idea. There was so much to look at, buy or have pierced or tattooed.
I'm so excited about the next few weeks! I'm planning on spending the majority of my free time walking around, going back to the market, listening to the street performers and just watching the world come to me. What an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
No comments:
Post a Comment