This article is part of a series that supports the Heritage & Handicrafts: OAXACA project, a community-based project that aims to deepen connections between cultural heritage handicraft entrepreneurs in Mexico and markets for their goods.
In the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico, the air vibrates with the sounds of drums, tuba, and clarinets. Suddenly, a group of dancers emerges with their elaborate feather headdresses like beautiful plumaged birds dancing under the sun. With precise and agile movements, they seem to defy gravity, jumping between heaven and earth. This is the Dance of the Feather (Danza de la Pluma), a tradition that has survived five centuries of cultural changes and fused Mexico’s pre-Hispanic past with its present.
“Zahatoviguetza,” whispers Iván Cruz, a master of the feather art from Zaachila, the Mesoamerican city in current-day Oaxaca. His expert hands intertwine colorful feathers as he continues: “In Zapotec, it means festival (zaha) of bright and colorful (guetza) feathers (tovi), but in Zaachila we call it Guya duub—dance of feathers. It is the heart of our identity.”
Since the sixteenth century, from Cuilapam de Guerrero (the town that is the cradle of this tradition) to San Pablo Guilla, the Dance of the Feather has spread throughout the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, taking root in at least seventeen communities. Each has given a distinctive touch to the tradition, whether in dance steps, musical tunes, or attire.
“The Dance of the Feather is like a ball of clay that each town takes and molds according to their identities,” says Filemón Rojas Hernández, a dance master who has taught the tradition since 1977. He follows in the footsteps of his grandfather José Hernández, who disseminated the dance in the Oaxaca Valley.
Today, in the imagination and narrative of the masters, the dance is linked to the God of Dance (Yya Yaasitasaha), who is represented in Mixtec culture by a fan-shaped feather headdress, a rattle in the right hand, and a bouquet of flowers in the left. More than just a performance, the dance represents a web of artisans, dancers, and craft professionals who contribute their skills to create something beautiful. It is also a religious traditional practice that faces modern challenges—especially regarding the sustainability of its materials and its practitioners.
An Evolving Piece of History
“Before the Spanish, our ancestors danced with feathers to honor the gods,” explains Roberto Silva, another dance and feather art master. Silva lives in Cuilapam de Guerrero, where he has been involved in this tradition for many decades.
Adorned with headdresses of feathers from quetzals and other native birds, the dancers perform subtle movements that evoke the journeys of the stars—which, for the Mixtecs, was in honor of the Corn Goddess (Diosa Centéotl). The pre-Hispanic peoples’ worldview considered birds as the only ones capable of reaching the sky and communicating with the gods, while music, interpreted with conch shells, rattles, and slit drums (teponaztli), established a link between human beings and deities.
The origins of the feather dance remain unclear. Ethnologists believe it has origins in the tumultuous period of the Spanish conquest. The Dominican friars, in their mission to evangelize the Indigenous populations of the Americas, appropriated local dance traditions and fused them with Catholic narratives. For example, in New Spain, the battle between Moctezuma’s warriors and Hernán Cortés’s soldiers and the conquest of Tenochtitlan is commonly represented in different local dances, including the Dance of the Feather.
In the seventeenth century, the Dominican friar Francisco Burgoa highlighted the importance of the “dance of the hanged man,” a festive representation of the conflict between the Mixtec and Zapotec kingdoms during the pre-Columbian period. Historians believe it may be one of the origins of the Dance of the Feather.
Cruz and various tradition bearers advocate for a resignification of the dance that highlights pre-Hispanic values with a sense of resistance, instead of commemorating the Spanish conquest of our Indigenous peoples.
Since the evangelization of Latin America, the Dance of the Feather has unfolded in patron saint festivities; with their flights, the dancers celebrate faith in the saints of different communities. In a syncretism, they reveal a fundamental history of Mexico’s intangible cultural heritage.
However, as anthropologist Jorge Hernández Díaz points out, this representation is not static: “There is a divergence between the ancient versions of the dances and contemporary representations, thus evidencing their constant evolution.” Currently, the dance has evolved into a spectacle that in some ways differs from its traditional roots by being performed any day, generating divided opinions on whether its original meaning is diminished.
“The evolution of the dance and the intercultural dialogue generated between communities and the current world is important,” says Pablo Sernas, a dance and feather art master in San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya. It is important to keep the original meaning of the dance but also to find attractive ways to involve new generations of dancers to keep the traditions alive.
Communities in Conversation
The Dance of the Feather, beyond its connotations as a celestial dance, historical representation of the conquest, or cultural spectacle, continues to be rooted in various communities of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, weaving an intricate social network that encompasses aspects of community organization, religion, and economy. It is still a common and popular tradition, partly because dancers often begin participating at an early age, either due to their parents’ promise to the community’s patron saint, family tradition, or simply the pleasure of the dance, music, and colorful attire.
“The Dance of the Feather will endure in the communities as long as the Catholic religion exists,” Silva says.
The Dance of the Feather is integrated into a wide range of cultural programs that adapt and transform its representations. Dancers take their art to multiple stages within Mexico and abroad, thus contributing to the dissemination of their culture. A clear example of this cultural expression is La Guelaguetza. Celebrated on Fortín Hill in Oaxaca City during the last weeks of July, the festival boasts the most popular Dance of the Feather, and it is the greatest honor to be chosen to dance on its stage. The festival and the participation of feather dancers is replicated even in the United States, where migrant organizations have promoted it since the 1980s.
Feather Dance as a Living Ecosystem
As a team of local cultural researchers, we sought to study the vitality of the Dance of the Feather by exploring how an intricate web of artisans evolves to maintain the tradition, despite growing challenges. To do this, we used the “cultural ecosystem” model, which views cultural practices as interconnected parts of a larger system and considers how environmental, social, spiritual, and economic factors influence and sustain it.
This approach helped us understand how various artisans—from shoemakers to musicians—play vital roles in maintaining this tradition while addressing modern concerns. But if one part of this system breaks down, the entire tradition could be at risk.
Behind the scenes, many artisans unite to bring this dance to life, each contributing a unique craft that forms part of the larger whole. We can identify the magnificent work of footwear makers that create traditional huaraches, or leather sandals, that allow the dancers to move with agility and precision. Many textile weavers participate in creating the intricate clothing worn by the dancers, particularly the vibrant ribbon that keeps the headdress in place.
Metalworkers prepare an engraved base for the headdress and rattles to keep rhythm. Woodworkers craft handpieces to complement the traditional outfit. Musicians learn and play the traditional tunes that provide the rhythm for each phase of the dance, which is unique to this region of Mexico. But most significant of all are the feather artisans who meticulously select and prepare feathers that adorn the dancers’ headdresses.
Each artisan relies on leather, fabric, feathers, wood, and metal. However, many of these materials are becoming harder to find sustainably. White turkey feathers, once easy to find, are now more difficult to source since raising turkeys has become less common in the community. Other birds they sourced feathers from are now endangered or extinct. As a result, some artisans have started sourcing feathers from other parts of the country or using synthetic products. Similarly, weavers, like feather artisans, now use aniline, a synthetic dye that is cheap but toxic and difficult to process, since most of the traditional knowledge about the use of natural plant and animal dyes has been lost.
This intricate web of connections highlights how the feather dance is not an isolated cultural expression but a living, breathing system that reflects broader community and environmental dynamics. As we study the dance as a cultural ecosystem, it becomes clear that many of the challenges faced by the artisans of Oaxaca are not unique to this region. Similar dynamics can be found in traditional dances across Mexico and worldwide. But the Dance of the Feather artisans have already begun to explore more sustainable practices.
Several feather artisans have started following the traditional way of collecting “stingless” beeswax, which prevents the destruction of the whole hive. They are also restoring local bamboo used for the inner support structure of the headdress. Communities and universities are working together to re-create natural dye methods and materials used in the pre-Hispanic period. In today’s globalized world, these efforts show the resilience of cultural ecosystems. By embracing more sustainable practices, artisans can protect their traditions and contribute to the broader movement for environmental conservation.
The Dance of the Feather is a powerful example of how a single tradition can unite a community of artisans, each playing a vital role in keeping the dance—and the culture—alive. It rises like a multicolored phoenix, constantly being reborn between ancestral traditions and modern currents. It is a living testimony to the resilience and creativity of the Oaxacan peoples, who preserve their essence while evolving with the times. It is a bridge between generations, cultures, and worlds, inviting us to celebrate diversity and unity in a single flight.
The rhythm of its steps and the waving of its feather headdresses inspire us all to keep our roots alive while opening ourselves to the future, dancing together toward a tomorrow full of color, tradition, and innovation.
Marco Carballido is a cultural management graduate with an anthropological lens and a passion for fostering dialogue and understanding.
Fernando Gumeta-Gómez is a researcher with the Secretary of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation of Mexico, working at the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Regional Integral Development Oaxaca Unit of the National Polytechnic Institute.
Alejandro Hernandez is a biologist, a cultural manager, and a teacher in the master’s program in cultural management at the UABJO – School of Fine Arts.
Gustavo Hinojosa-Arango is a researcher with the Secretary of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation of Mexico, working at the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Regional Integral Development Oaxaca Unit of the National Polytechnic Institute.
