Festival Internacional Cervantino - History

History

The city of Guanajuato, where the Festival takes place, has historically had a large cultural scene in relation to its size. The richness of the mines in colonial times started a tradition of theaters and other cultural venues to satisfy the desires of the middle and upper classes. The city has a tradition of hosting musical, theatrical and dance events not only in its numerous theaters but also in its many small plazas with benches.

In 1953, Enrique Rueles of the University of Guanajuato began to put on an annual event called the Entremeses de Miguel de Cervantes Saaevedra, short plays written by the author of Don Quixote. These plays are still part of the annual Festival. In 1972, he founded the Coloquio Cervantino from June to September to expand the annual Entremeses event. That same year, President Luis Echeverría Alvarez established the foundation for an international cultural festival, originally proposing it for Acapulco. However, the tradition of the Entremeses was the main reason why Guanajuato was eventually chosen, meshing the two ideas to produce the modern event for the first time in 1972 with performances by artists from fourteen countries including Mexico. For this reason, this year is considered the foundation of the event.

The Festival quickly gained the attention of noted artists, with Elizabeth II and the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh attending the event in 1975. By decree, an organizing committee was set up in 1976 under the Secretaría de Educación Pública, the state and city of Guanajuato and the University of Guanajuato to invite artists from Mexico and abroad. Some of the first invited by this committee were Mario Moreno Cantinflas and Dolores del Río. This committee is still in charge today, working with the Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, el Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes and the Instituto de Cultura de Guanajuato. In 1978, Juan Carlos and Sofía of Spain attended as guests of honor.

In the 1980s, the notable acts were Lazar Berman, Mercedes Sosa, the New York Philharmonic, Joan Baez, Gilbert Bécaud, Mario Lavista, Guillermo Velázquez, Los Leones de la Sierra de Xichú, the National Ballet of Canada, Nikolais Dance Theater, the Bolshoi Ballet, Sankai Juku, Theater Scena STU (Poland) and the Marionette Theatre of Hungary.

In 1989, the city became a World Heritage Site which allowed most of the city’s colonial and late 19th century architecture, including its theatres to be restored.

During the 1990s, the Festival featured acts such as the Guitar Trio of Amsterdam, Voices of Change, the Vienna Quintet, Guadalupe Pineda, Krzysztof Jakowicz, Krystyna Borucinska, Kronos Quartet, Madredeus, the Open Theater of Belgrade, the Lindsay Kemp Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

In the 2000s, the custom of having Mexican states and foreign countries/regions as “special guests” began. In 2001, the invited region was Oceania along with Veracruz. Acts featured during those years included Hélène Grimaud, Eugenio Toussaint, Juan Fornell and Los Van Van, the Vienna Symphony Virtuosi, Enrique Bunbury, Los Tigres del Norte, Panteón Rococó, Meno Fortas and Les 7 doigts de la main.

The city was declared the Cervantino Capital of America in 2005, which prompted the federal government to issue a commemorative silver coin.

The 38th edition of the Festival in 2010 was dedicated to Mexico’s Bicentennial of Independence and Centennial of the Revolution. Three states, Chihuahua, Michoacán and Querétaro along with three countries, Argentina, Colombia and Chile were the special guests as they celebrated their bicentennials the same year. The 2010 version had 3,161 artists from 31 countries, with special emphasis on traditional Mexican music and dance.