Gearing up for The Celebraciones De La Genta!

The time is drawing near for the 7th annual Celebraciones De La Genta! The past few weeks have been full of preparation, and with only 17 days left, things are starting to speed up. The festival will be held as usual at the Museum of Northern Arizona, on October 23-24. This festival is sure to be jam-packed with talented artists, musicians and events. We have many returning musicians this year, as well as a nine member Mariachi band hailing from Tucson, Arizona. This band goes by the name of Sol Azteca, and is prominent in that area for the genre of Mariachi. The Mariachi originated in the state of Jalisco, Mexico sometime in the 19th century, and has evolved into a cultural revolution, and recently has become popular in the United States. Mariachi has continued to grow in popularity, and can be found not only in North America, but in other countries such as Japan. The festival is also proud to recieve a number of talented artists who will be displaying pieces ranging from beaded and silver jewelry, to beautiful Zapoteca Rugs. As in all of the past Day of the Dead Celebrations we will be hosting community Altars, which honor loved ones who have past on. We have also planned heritage presentations that will span the two days of the festival. Prominent members of the community such as Dr. Miguel Vasquez, a professor at Northern Arizona University, will give talks concerning the history and culture of the hispanic communities of the region. Overall we believe this will be a grand festival in honor not only of all of our loved ones who have past on, but of the many rich hispanic communities that popluate our corner of the country. For a full listing of musicians, artists, and events visit the following link http://www.musnaz.org/hp/celebraciones_fest_2009.shtml.

Love,
Anne and THE Intern(Caolan Head) :]