50 Festivals of Indigenous Music and Dance, 1977-1982
The collection of "50 Festivals of indigenous Music and Dance", gathered between 1977 and 1982, forms a valuable documentary heritage that reflects the cultural expressions of 45 indigenous peoples of Mexico. Comprised of sound, photographic and audio-visual records, the collection has a two-fold value as historical and documentary heritage. On the one hand, it sheds light on the principles that guided the new indigenist policies, focused on the participation of indigenous peoples; on the other, it is a testimony of the ethnic and cultural diversity of the country, recognized since 1992 in the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States: Article 2. “The Mexican Nation is multicultural, based originally on its indigenous peoples”.
The collection, which comprises records of 117 dances and more than 1,200 musical expressions, performed by 14,297 indigenous artists, is an important testimony of melodies, instruments and choreographies, some of which are in danger of disappearing. Hence, registering this collection as a valuable constituent of Mexico’s archival heritage, would grant recognition to the indigenous peoples that made it possible.