En el corazón agrícola del valle de San Joaquín de California, que se extiende 250 millas de Stockton en el norte a Bakersfield en el sur, dos grupos de artistas mantienen las tradiciones de sus comunidades mixtecas.

Summer in Los Angeles means it’s time to go to as many Japanese American obon gatherings as I can, to join in the dances known as bon odori.

In the agricultural heart of California’s San Joaquin Valley, stretching 250 miles from Stockton in the north to Bakersfield in the south, two groups of artists uphold the performance traditions of their Mixteco communities.

Peru Gozando, a folk band based in Falls Church, Virginia, returned to the Folklife Festival for a special Community Day performance.

Behind every great dance is a rich and complex history. The danza Sarawja, presented at the 2015 Folklife Festival, exemplifies the mix of Spanish and pre-Inka traditions in Peru.

Peruvian singer Dayan Aldana, now based in Centreville, Virginia, performed at the 2015 Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s Community Days, honoring the changing traditions of Peruvians in the United States.

La Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen de Paucartambo represents a much larger celebration that pours into the small town of Paucartambo, Peru, every July to honor the town’s patron saint, the Virgin Mamacha Carmen.

During an evening concert at the 2015 Folklife Festival, Peruvian singer Julie Freundt dedicated this tondero song to José Antonio, the first breeder of the Peruvian Paso horse.

Imagine that you grew up in a small village in Peru and that you are very proud of your culture. You are overjoyed when the Smithsonian Folklife Festival invites you to dance and share your traditions with an American audience

When Wilde Moran moved to the United States, he opened the Rancho San Miguel de Aquia in Gainesville, Virginia, to raise Peruvian Paso horses.