My culture

My country is very famous for its traditional food such as black mole, tamales, tortillas, hot chocolate, and cheese. The communities are very hospitable. If visitants come any home, the people always offer food by serving plates immediately, but if you say "no" sometime they are offended. People think you don't like to join with poor people. My culture is the same with many cultures, with a variety of religions, traditions, languages, and food.

I am from Mexico and my home state is Oaxaca. The name Oaxaca comes from the Nahuatl word Huaxyacac. Huax means gourd and yacac at the top. So Oaxaca means "at the top of has a famous festival called “The Guelaguetza”, which takes place every year in two consecutive Mondays following July 16th in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Also known locally as (Mondays on the Hill). A beautiful cultural event dating back hundreds of years before the arrival of the Spanish, and it remains as a mainly characteristic of Oaxacan culture. This festival attracts visitors from around the world and allows knowing the culture of the whole state because all the regions present folkloric dance and song, the cultural exchange extends to culinary delights. Regional food specialties are offered of each region.

The word "Guelaguetza" comes from the Zapotec Indian language and means an offering or gift. For many years, the area's indigenous peoples honored the goddess of maize (corn) through ceremony and ritual. Each year at the height of the rainy season (mid-July), the people would gather and pay tribute to Centeotl, “the corn goddess.” These supplications were performed to assure a bountiful coming harvest. Currently, indigenous communities gather to present their native cultures, mainly in the form of music, costumes, dances, and food. In the true spirit of Guelaguetza, the dancers at the end of their performance throw gifts into the crowd. These offerings represent their region's specialty and might include hats, flowers and even pineapples. It is the most famous indigenous gathering of its kind in Mexico.The indigenous people in Oaxaca are from many different cultures but Zapotec and Mixtec are the two biggest ethnic groups. There are also a great number of other groups, and all have their own unique traditions and speak diverse languages.