International Cervantino Festival 2005

The International Cervantino Festival in Guanajuato is the cultural event of the year in Mexico. For four years now, the Cervantino Festival has invited a state from Mexico and a country of the world to be the guests of honor. The state of Yucatan and the country of Japan are honored guests for this years festival. The Yucatecan group will consist of hundreds of artists in theatre, dance, opera, music, art, cooking, handcrafts and tourism. In addition, there will be more than 2,000 artists from all of Mexico plus artists from 37 countries. During the three weeks of the festival, it is estimated that a million people will visit Guanajuato.

There will be a Yucatecan Gala, a multi disciplinarian showing which will delight the public with Yucatecan folkloric culture through music, dance, poetry, and theatre productions. The Yucatecan Regional Night will be televised via satellite in its entirety.

There will be several chamber music concerts featuring Yucatecan, Mexican and international music. The groups that will perform include Metales 40ºbc Quintet, Guitar Recital under Cecilia Perera, Piano Concert with the soprano Claudia Rodriguez and the pianist Daniel Rodriguez. The Yucatecan Symphonic Orchestra will be a major attraction with their musical program that includes Yucatecan symphonic music from such artists as Daniel Ayala Perez and Jose Jacinto Cuevas. The well known Latin American Quartet will also be participating.

There will be five art exhibitions that include Mayan Cities of the Yucatan, Picheta, Photographic Archives Guerra, Figures of Yucatecan Fine Art and Contemporary Yucatecan Fine Art.

Yucatecan regional theatre is always so much fun when Hector Herrera “Cholo” and his Tina Tuyub get together. Your Spanish has to be up to par to really appreciate the

Yucatecan humor, vocabulary, and dress. Trova Yucateca music is the most representative showing of Yucatecan music. For the closing ceremony Yucatan ’s Frank Sinatra, Armando Manzanero, will perform with the Yukalpeten Typical Orchestra.

Two special projects are the Yucatan House (Casa de Yucatan) and the Gastronomic Show. At the Yucatan House you will find a large variety of products produced in the Yucatan, as well as tourist information and promotional materials from the Department of Development. A selection of restaurants will offer Yucatecan cuisine during the Festival. The chefs in these restaurants will be trained by Yucatecan chefs, so the food will be authentically good!

If you have the time, you won’t want to miss this grand festival!!

www.festivalcervantino.gob.mx

To read in Spanish click here