CHILENA MIXTECA
Published by Edwin Sanchez Juarez
The clip above showcases a dance style or genre called Chilena. I recorded this clip in June 2022 during the festival “El 24 de Junio” in San Juan Mixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.
According to my research and personal experience coming from a mixteco family, the Chilena Mixteca is a traditional music and dance style from the Mixteca region in Oaxaca, Mexico. Originating from the Chilean cueca brought by Chilean sailors from Chile. In the 19th century, it was adapted and transformed by the indigenous Mixtec people, incorporating their own cultural elements and rhythms.
Characterized by its lively and upbeat tempo, the Chilena Mixteca often features guitars, trumpets, and sometimes accordions. The dance is typically performed in pairs, with tapdance like footwork and movements that reflect themes of courtship and celebration. It plays a significant role in Mixtec cultural heritage, frequently shown at rural areas like in festivals, celebrations, and community gatherings.
Besides migrating to the Mixteca region, the Chilena dance also spread to other areas in southern Mexico, including parts of Guerrero and Puebla. In these regions, it became famous for festivals and cultural celebrations, evolving with local influences and indigenous traditions.
Through my heavy research, the chilena folk dance origins are somewhat debated, but it’s generally believed to have roots in the Spanish and African rhythms, with influences from indigenous Chilean music. It evolved from the zamacueca, a dance popular in Peru and other parts of South America during the colonial period. Here, it further adapted to local customs and musical styles, incorporating elements unique to the Afro-Mexican communities, resulting in a version known as “Chilena costeña.”
Overall, the Chilena dance has become an extremely diverse cultural expression in various parts of southern Mexico, with each region adding its own distinctive flavor to the tradition.
Photographed in Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca, Mexico in June 2022.
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