Maya Legends Festival in José María Morelos to Showcase Oral Tradition on Nov. 11-12

José María Morelos, Quintana Roo — Grandparents’ stories, jungle legends and artistic performances will take center stage at the Nighttime Festival of Maya Legends, an event designed to draw new generations closer to the cultural heritage of Maya communities.

The festival is scheduled for Nov. 11 and 12 and coincides with Mexico’s National Book Day. It will bring together artists from several disciplines to promote and preserve Maya oral tradition, said Iván Carrillo, the project’s coordinating director.

Carrillo said the program will present stories passed down from generation to generation — among them tales of the Xtabay, the Huay Chivo and the aluxes — interpreted through dance, music, visual arts, sculpture, drawing and handicrafts.

Local Groups and Students Take Part

Participants include the municipal Tourism Department, artisans from José María Morelos and the Universidad Intercultural Maya de Quintana Roo, along with the Nuestras Raíces dance group, directed by teacher Santiago.

Students in teacher Claudia’s visual arts workshop are preparing an exhibition on the beings of the forest, and teacher Guillermo Talavera will lead a reading session.

Carrillo said oral tradition can still be strengthened through the participation of young people, and he declined to describe the current moment for Maya culture as either a decline or a high point. He said the challenge is to bring tangible and intangible heritage closer to communities and to make their residents active participants in preserving it.

As part of that effort, organizers are running a campaign in primary, middle and high schools, inviting students to attend with their parents. The goal, they said, is for families to share in the activities and to find in the legends, stories and artistic performances a chance to reconnect with the cultural memory of Maya communities.