Festival Nacional Máscaras Danzantes
Across Mexico, there are hundreds of masked dances with decades —and in some cases, centuries— of history. Coscomatepec, Veracruz, is one of these places. In 2021, a group of local residents envisioned bringing together, in a single event, the immense cultural wealth that exists in Mexico around these traditions and cultural expressions. In December of that year, the first Festival Nacional Máscaras Danzantes was held, with a success that has continued to grow to this day. In 2024, Colectivo Rokunin began documenting and sharing this rich heritage through Google Arts & Culture.
The Festival Nacional Máscaras Danzantes invited Colectivo Rokunin to its 2024 edition, where we had the opportunity to interview several participants from different parts of the country. The festival also provided us with extensive information and visual materials about the dances featured this year and in previous editions.
From December 13 to 15, 2024, Coscomatepec hosted 40 traditional dances from thirteen states: San Luis Potosí, Jalisco, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, State of Mexico, Puebla, Veracruz, Morelos, Michoacán, Guerrero, Tabasco, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. More than 1,500 dancers took part, attracting 50,000 visitors —almost the same as the town’s entire population— who came to celebrate this great tribute to the roots of Mexico’s communities. The event also included the Gathering of Master Mask Makers, featuring more than 60 artisans from Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Chile, and the Dominican Republic.
Three Google Arts & Culture stories stand as testimony to this major project.
Google Arts & Culture stories
The celebration of hidden faces – La fiesta de los rostros ocultos
About the Festival Nacional Máscaras Danzantes and the connections among masked dance traditions from across Mexico.
Faith, legend, and delirium – Fe, leyenda y delirio
About the parachicos from Chiapas and the payasos from Veracruz.
Rituals of Resistance – Rituales de Resistencia
Story about the tecuanes from Puebla and the tartanes from Jalisco.