First came the puppets, 2 stories tall, marching down the street.  Under, around and behind them came bands of brass and drums.  Swirling among the bands and the puppet carriers were the youth and sponsors, dressed in their cultural finest.  This festival honored the youth from the Zapotec and Mixtec villages and communities of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico.  Soon, the Zocalo was brim full of color and flash.

Announcements were made, hands were clapped and everyone settled down for an afternoon of performances.  Lo siento, but I don’t speak Spanish, so I couldn’t understand what was said.  I could only enjoy and save through my lens, the afternoon of music, slapstick and dance.

There was a slapstick comedy based on a children’s tale, with an evil witch complete with magical powers–   There were dancers on the plaza —

The festival went on well into the evening.  We had to leave early the next morning for home; we went to sleep to the sounds of pounding feet on the Zocalo stage just beyond the doors of our hotel.