Fundación Casa de Mexico (calle Alberto Aguilera, 20) and the Government of the State of Oaxaca invite you to enjoy the concert of traditional Oaxacan music by the Symphonic Band of Tlaxiaco (BASIT) next Saturday 24 January at 17 hours.
Originally from Tlaxiaco, in the Mixteca Alta region of the state of Oaxaca, in southeastern Mexico, BASIT was founded in 2015 with the aim of promoting musical education among local children and youth and at the same time preserving and disseminating the musical traditions of the Mixteca, one of the oldest and most complex cultural regions in the country.
Composed mainly of girls, boys and young people, the BASIT is part of a long Mexican tradition of wind bands, deeply rooted in Oaxaca, where these groups play a central role in social, festive and civic life. Beyond its artistic function, the band acts as a space for community cohesion, intergenerational transmission of knowledge and strengthening local cultural identity.
Since its creation, BASIT has developed an outstanding career, with presentations in various states of the Mexican Republic and in institutional scenarios of national importance. With two albums, the band has collaborated with musicians, singers and groups such as Otto Sauter, Lucca Benucci, Miriam Hickman, Lila Downs, Susana Harp, Botas Negras or Pokar de Ases.
His performances have helped to position it as a contemporary reference of Oaxacan band music, able to dialogue with diverse audiences without losing its territorial and cultural anchor.
His repertoire combines traditional mixteca music (sones, marches and festive pieces) with symphonic arrangements of Mexican and Latin American works, performed in the format of wind band and percussion. This balance between popular tradition and more elaborate musical writing allows the public to appreciate both the regional melodic richness as well as the high technical level of its performers.
Also, on the same day at 12 o’clock, you can enjoy the Guelaguetza, the maximum cultural festival of the state of Oaxaca and one of the most important multicultural meetings in Latin America.
Coming from the Zapotec Guendalizaa, the word Guelaguetza means “cooperation”, “sharing”, “solidarity” or “collective offering”. The Guelaguetza has pre-Hispanic roots: in its origin it was a ceremony of gratitude for the rains and the fertility of the land, linked to the goddess of corn, ancestral to the indigenous peoples of the region.
Over time, the celebration was transformed, integrating festive and ceremonial traditions, to consolidate as the most important cultural festival in Oaxaca. Today, the Guelaguetza is a living symbol of identity, diversity and cultural resistance; an invitation to know and value the many indigenous communities of the state, their dances, music, gastronomy, handicrafts, and the solidarity of its people.
In this show, attendees will enjoy the live music and traditional dances that are an essential part of this festival.
