Mexico

International Cervantino Festival

Mexico

10 days - October 19-28, 2008

Four hundred kilometres to the north of Mexico City, the old colonial mining town of Guanajuato hosts the biggest cultural gathering of foreign artists in Latin America - the International Cervantino Festival. The first official festival was in 1972 but the tradition began in 1953 when a university teacher encouraged students to re-enact the plays of Cervantes, the Spanish writer of Don Quixote, in the plazas of the city. Now an UNESCO world heritage site, the first thing that will strike you is the vibrancy of this university city.

There's no shortage of great bars and restaurants lining the colourful, colonial-style plazas, plus all the street entertainment: sombrero toting mariachi groups vying for attention with the norteno groups and the estudiantinos - black cloak-clad students who take musical tours around the cobbled streets recounting local stories. And on top of all this impromptu entertainment, there's the extensive programme of the festival to fit in. A combination of exhibitions, dance, theatre but most importantly a huge variety of music is on offer.

Homegrown musical talent always features highly, with trovadors such as Guillermo Velásquez and popular dance music from rural Mexico, but there are always big international names too, recent performers have included Peruvian diva Tania Libertad and Senegalese star Baaba Maal. Should you fancy a break from the festival events, there's the fascinating Cervantes museum to visit or the nearby towns of Léon - Mexico's leather capital, ideal for some retail therapy - plus San Miguel de Allende, a picturesque colonial town popular with American expat artists and writers.

Mexico Itinerary - 10 days

Day 1

We fly from London in the early morning, arriving in Mexico City in the early evening and transfer to our hotel. You may choose to rest, or enjoy the evening ambience of the Mexican capital.

Day 2

After breakfast we set off on the drive to Guanajuato. Clearing the traffic of the capital we stop at the Pyramids of Teotihuacán before continuing north to the mountains of the state of Guanajuato. Arriving at our hotel in the late afternoon, we check in and explore the streets of our base for the next week.

Days 3-8

At the Cervantino Festival. Our hotel is on the edge of the city, within walking distance or a short taxi ride from most of the festival activities. During the day you can wander the narrow streets, or perhaps take an optional excursion to some of the nearby colonial towns. San Miguel de Allende and Léon, for example are a short drive away and offer an interesting day out. Your Songlines Travel Leader will arrange transportation according to the number of people interested in such visits, with a local guide provided if you prefer this. Either way evenings will certainly be spent at the festival performances. We will include some musical performances, whilst others will be left as optional so you may take in whichever aspects of the festival - theatre, ballet, opera, dance as well as music - you wish to see.