Mayan Legends Festival Brings Oral Tradition to Life in José María Morelos

José María Morelos, Quintana Roo — Characters from oral tradition, artistic performances, music, film and literary activities will fill the Mayan Legends Night Festival, scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 11, and Thursday, Nov. 12, starting at 7 p.m. at the tourist welcome center in José María Morelos.

José Guillermo Talavera Lucero, a professor and researcher at the Mayan Intercultural University of Quintana Roo (UIMQROO), said the initiative came from Iván Carrillo, a student in the university’s arts management and development program, who is driving the project through a cultural collective.

Talavera Lucero stressed that the festival is not an official university event but rather a community proposal that receives backing from the institution as part of the cultural activities held in the municipality.

Over the two evenings, performers will portray figures from Mayan legends, and organizers will mount an art exhibition, music, film screenings and reading-promotion activities with the participation of local reading rooms.

The goal is to recover and share the stories that form part of the region’s oral tradition and to carry them into new artistic expressions by reinterpreting and giving new meaning to their characters and tales.

Talavera Lucero invited families to take part in the event, which seeks to keep the storytelling heritage of Mayan culture alive and to use the tourist center as a space for gathering and cultural expression.