146 Artisans Bring Mexico’s Folk Traditions to Xcaret Folk Art Fair

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The third edition of the Xcaret Folk Art Fair (Feria Xcaret de Arte Popular Mexicano) opened Thursday with 146 master artisans from regions across Mexico, putting the knowledge and techniques passed down through generations on display.

The fair runs Sept. 24–27 at the Hacienda Henequenera at Xcaret Park, spotlighting the skills and expressions that form part of Mexico’s living cultural heritage.

Over four days, visitors can see and buy pieces made from ceramics, textiles, wood, vegetable fibers, jewelry, leather, stone, glass, amate bark paper, guajes, cartonería, Wixárika art, popotillo straw work, metalwork and goldsmithing, among other specialties.

Crafts Sold Without Intermediaries

One of the fair’s main goals is to create direct contact between artisans and the public, with no middlemen. Each participant receives free space to exhibit and sell their work, so the full value of each piece goes to the person who made it.

At the opening, Elizabeth Lugo Monjarras, executive director of Parques Tours and Naviera at Grupo Xcaret, said every piece reflects a process of learning and labor that forms part of the country’s cultural memory.

“Folk art is one of the ways Mexico keeps its memory alive,” she said, stressing the importance of creating spaces where master artisans can show their work directly and pass their knowledge on to new generations.

The fair also proposes a new way of approaching handicrafts — one based on valuing the time, technique and experience each piece requires, promoting fair purchasing and discouraging haggling.

Tradition, Technique and New Generations

The program includes demonstrations of craft techniques, lectures and panel discussions, as well as a folk art competition and runway shows of traditional clothing and accessories.

Those activities let the public learn not only about the finished product but also about the processes, stories and knowledge behind each creation, in an exchange between artisans and new audiences.

With this third edition, Grupo Xcaret aims to help spread and preserve Mexican cultural expressions through a space that recognizes those who keep the knowledge and traditions of communities nationwide alive through their work.