Culture & Traditions Archives

Mexico’s cultures are local first: community festivals, craft traditions, music scenes, and kitchens that tell history in every dish. This page collects our culture stories with an emphasis on the people who keep traditions alive and the changes they face. Expect profiles, event coverage, and explainers that connect past and present without cliché. We highlight regional differences and the everyday work behind a “cultural moment,” from rehearsals to markets to community halls.

•February 24, 2026

Why February 24 matters in Mexico and what is observed

Mexico marks February 24 as Flag Day, rooted in the 1821 Plan of Iguala and later law. Here’s what’s commemorated nationwide.

•February 18, 2026

Ash Wednesday starts Lent in Mexico, reshaping food choices

As Lent begins with Ash Wednesday in Mexico, many avoid red meat, turning to fish and budget-friendly meals to honor tradition during the season.

•February 9, 2026

Cartels Drive Out Indigenous Communities for Gold and Timber

In Chihuahua’s Sierra Tarahumara, organized crime groups are forcing Indigenous families off their land to exploit illegal gold mining and logging.

•February 4, 2026

Wood-Chopping Contest Keeps Mixtec Tradition Alive in Oaxaca

A rural Oaxaca community revives a communal wood-chopping tradition, turning a once-essential labor into a spirited cultural contest.

•January 28, 2026

Oaxaca honors last purple snail dyers to save ancient art

A handful of Mixtec elders in Oaxaca keep alive a millennia-old craft of milking sea snails for purple dye, now officially celebrated amid urgent calls...

•January 28, 2026

INAH begins restoring graffiti-damaged wall at Oaxaca’s Santo Domingo complex

Mexico’s heritage institute (INAH) begins cleaning graffiti from a historic Oaxaca convent wall, documenting the tags and adding a protective coating.