México, DF, August 6, 2013- The environment and the ancient Mayan knowledge about ecosystems and their interaction with humans will be the focus of the multifaceted program at the International Cultural Festival Maya 2013 which will be held Merida, Yucatan . The program was presented at Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes in early August with the slogan, “El Paisaje” (The Landscape) , alongside the projection of a promotional video of Yucatan and minstrel starring Sergio Esquivel .
Yucatan Governor, Rolando Zapata Bello , who was accompanied by federal, state and diplomats from other countries invited to the festival, said that “the Yucatan [Peninsula] is placed at the epicenter of global reflection for major issues, but for us, the most important thind is that Yucatan is part of the great Mexican nation. The intention is that Yucatan is a door, a window, so that everyone is aware of what it represents to the great nation of Mexico.” Interviewed in Mexico City during the presentation of cultural program to be held from October 17 to November 3 , the Governor Bello insisted that “the most important thing of the festival is to ensure current and historical knowledge of the great Mayan culture ” in the context of world culture .
The International Cultural Festival Maya 2013 will include the participation of many countries : Honduras , Spain , Russia, Sweden , Iran , Venezuela , Belize , France , Italy, Brazil , Switzerland , China , Taiwan , Japan, Greece, Cuba , among others. The program also includes a Yucatecan cooking demonstration, encounters with traditional Mayan shamans, traditional ball game performances ( Pok”Ta Pok ), and discussions about medicinal Mayan plants and the natural scenery in the Yucatan Peninsula. There will also be expositions of Yucatecan folk art and costumes as well as plays, dance, literature and presentations of Yucatecan groups and artists. Academic presentations and lectures will be given by Rigoberta Menchú , José Sarukhan , Martha Chapa, Miguel Leon Portilla or Al Gore and Deepak Chopra, among others.
In addition to the mentioned activities, the festival will incorporate book presentations, concerts and other musical events such as Guanajuato’s International Cervantino Festival, Igor Moiseyev Russian Ballet , the National Ballet of the National Dance Company , Los Flamingos Spain , the Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica , the Ensemble Pygmalion of France and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.
The Festival is supported by the Ministry of Education, at the federal level , as well as CONACULTA and its proprietor, Rafael Tovar y de Teresa, who accompanied the governor during the presentation.
Finally, Governor Bello highlighted the economic impact that Yucatan will be expecting by the arrival of many visitors from not only all over the country, but also from abroad. ” No doubt the attraction will generate significant volumes of visitors , attracted by all this festival represents a major economic dynamics for our state.”
The above press release was translated from its original in spanish. For more information, visit the website http://www.festivalculturamaya.com/ or their facebook page.
The International Festival of the Maya Culture 2013 will be held from October 17 to November 7. Most of the activities will be outdoors and admission will be free for most venues including Merida, Progreso, Valladolid and Izamal.
