On my way to the supermarket this morning, look what I came upon in the Plaza de la Danza. The candidates vying to become Diosa Centéotl, the fertility goddess of corn who presides over July’s Guelaguetza festival, were rehearsing the blocking for this evening’s first stage of the competition.
Down the stairs of the Plaza de la Danza they processed to the solemn sound of the Himno a la Diosa Centéotl.
According to the Secretaría de las Culturas y Artes de Oaxaca (Seculta), this year there are 43 women, all over 18 years old, hoping to be the one selected.
Onto the stage to their assigned seats, where, cued by the director, they each, in turn, practiced walking up to the microphone.
Representing the regions of the state, twelve are from the Central Valleys, eleven from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, six from the Sierra Sur, five from the Mixteca, four from the Papaloapan, four from the Coast, and one from the Cañada.
Accompanied by their shadows, they climbed the stairway to the stars to start all over again.
Tonight’s competition begins at 6:00 PM, when each participant will talk about the myths and legends, gastronomy, traditions, and tourist attractions in their village. The second stage of the competition begins tomorrow (June 30, 2019) at 11:00 AM.
(ps) This is not only a venue change, the date of the competition was moved up almost three weeks — perhaps to have Diosa Centéotl preside over more of the Guelaguetza’s ancillary events.
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