Domitilia Clemente was born and raised in the small town of Ocumichu, Michoacán, Mexico. As a child, she began helping her mother in the kitchen, preparing numerous traditional dishes to celebrate special occasions such as the celebrations of saints (Fiesta de San Pedro, Cristo Rey, Virgen de Guadalupe), as well…
The tradition of backstrap weaving is very popular in many towns in Oaxaca, Mexico. Practiced and taught through generations of women, weaving on a backstrap loom is used to make shawls, napkins, belts, and other items needed for daily life and traditional clothing. In her hometown of San Juan Mixtepec…
Started in 2005, Grupo Folklórico Juan Colorado offers free Mexican folkórico (folk dance) instruction to students of Planada Elementary School in Planada, California. The group is voluntarily taught and directed by committed community member Carolina Arceo. A grant from ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program in 2015…
Oaxacan arts and culture
Mutiple genres of traditional Mexican music rely on the sounds of stringed instruments, from mariachi’s guitarróns, vihuelas, and guitars, to son jarocho’s jaranas. The quality of music produced is a direct result of the quality of craftsmanship that went into the creation of the instrument, including the mastering of necessary…
Puerto Rican Bomba
Colombia’s Caribbean coast is host to a plethora of rhythms and musical styles. Many fall under the umbrella of cumbia, which is but one of a number of styles. In this region, the most commonly used instruments are the alegre, llamador, tambora, maracón, guacho, and gaita. Together, they represent the…
Salvador Ramírez learned how to play the guitar and violin from an aunt in his hometown of San Juan Mixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. He has been playing Mixtec (indigenous Oaxacan) chilena music for over twenty years, and is often invited to play at baptisms, weddings, and community festivals throughout Central California.
Proyecto Purépecha was created with the mission to create an extensive and vibrant Purépecha (a native people of Michoacán, Mexico) community in the San Joaquin Valley and California at large. Proyecto Purépecha works to restore and flourish Purépecha food, language, music, and dance in the Mexicano/Michoacano community residing in the San Joaquin…
SUKAY, which means to open the earth and prepare it for planting, is an internationally touring musical group that for four decades has performed the music of the Andean regions of Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. Founded in 1975 by executive director Quentin Howard (pan-pipes, flutes, and…
