Each year in late June and early July, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival brings together hundreds of tradition bearers from around the world to share their cultures on the National Mall of the United States. To make this happen, the planning for each Festival begins years prior--when the Smithsonian and our collaborators form partnerships, undertake field research projects with featured communities, and work with individuals and groups to arrange presentations. During these months and years of hard work, we all make new discoveries through countless conversations about longtime traditions that remain a vibrant part of a community's life. For those of us who organize and participate in the Festival, the preparatory period is a very exciting time.

In planning this year's Festival, our curators traveled throughout Mexico with our partners from that country's National Council for Culture and the Arts (Conaculta) and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH)