It’s Oaxacan Heritage Month in Los Angeles ~ Guelaguetza Festival, Miss Oaxaca Pageant, Indigenous Literature Conference
[dropcap size=big]F[/dropcap]riday is the semi-official kick-off Oaxacan Heritage Month in Los Angeles, a period that coincides with the traditional Guelaguetza festival in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, and the corresponding Guelaguetza in L.A. The month of community-minded events — from grassroots to official — are a reminder of the depth and complexity of the Oaxaqueño community in Southern California.
Festivities begin with a proclamation of Oaxacan Heritage Month in South Central on July 20. Following that, the weekend takes off with the Indigenous Literature Conference at the Central Library. Invited writers include Irma Pineda, Francisco Lopez Barcena, Celerina Sanchez, and many others.
On Monday, the Fiesta de los Lunes del Cerro — when the Guelaguetza actually happens in Oaxaca — will be live-streamed at the Guelaguetza restaurant (July 23, 30) in Koreatown. So you can watch the spectacular pageantry of the various ethnic and cultural groups of Oaxaca in their full regalia while having your amarillo.
In L.A., the big local Guelaguetza festival takes place Aug. 4-5, at Lincoln Park in Lincoln Heights. (We were there last year, and I can tell you, if you like Oaxacan cuisine, you don't want to miss it!) Later, on Aug. 11, the Copa Oaxaca basketball tourney takes place at ELAC. The final is Aug. 12.
The Señorita Oaxaca pageant is Aug. 19, at La Brea Nightclub. And finally, the "Visualizing Language: Oaxaca in L.A." mural exhibit at the Central Library closes its extended run with an event on Aug. 26.
RELATED:
An Ode to Oaxacan L.A.: Friday Nights at Poncho's Tlayudas
How to Make Mole with Bricia Lopez of Guelaguetza
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from L.A. TACO
Spot Check: Colombian Desgranados In Echo Park, Mexican Wine Festival At Mírate, and Perverted Waffles in DTLA
Plus, a party highlighting pan-African cuisine, a new Taiwanese cookbook by an awarded local from the San Gabriel Valley, and a Little Saigon food festival that starts tonight! Welcome back to Spot Check!
This 24-Year-Old Latina Mortician Beautifies the Dead and Influences the Living
Growing up in Arleta with a first-generation family from El Salvador, Berrios admits that her family only embraced her career choice two years ago, after she started to win awards like “Young Funeral Director of the Year.” The 24-year-old works as the licenced funeral director and embalmer at Hollywood Forever cemetery. As a young person born in peak Generation Z, she's documented her deathcare journey on TikTok and has accrued more than 43K followers on the platform.
Meet ‘Carnitas Rogelio,’ The Family-Run Stand With The Best Michoacán-Style Carnitas O.C. Has to Offer
Michoacán-raised Rogelio Gonzalez slices the cuerito (the pig skin) in a checkered pattern to ensure a light crunch in each bite and utilizes every part of the pig, from the feet to the liver and intestines, which he binds together in a braid.
‘The Office’ Star Rainn Wilson Brought Jerk Chicken Tacos to the Picket Lines Outside of Paramount Studios
In three hours, D's Tipsy Tacos and her team passed out “roughly 100 plates” of tacos, burritos, rice, beans, nachos, and quesadillas to striking screenwriters and actors.
Five Common Plants to Avoid When Creating Your Green Spaces in L.A.
Almost every time I visit a property with landscaping issues, the problem starts with bad design: the wrong plants in the wrong place. Here's advice from a third-generation L.A. landscaper and noted taco expert.
