By Paola Velasco
On the second weekend of July, the Charco del Ingenio Botanical Garden celebrated the Fiesta de la Santa Cruz (Feast of the Holy Cross), as well as its 31st anniversary, in Parque Landeta. Between vigils, dances, altars, and community gatherings, this traditional event was held over three days and attended by some 5,000 people.
One of the main goals of El Charco is to raise environmental awareness, and this event was a perfect example of how to achieve this objective. “It is an example of how things can be done with a sense of community and to observe how the inhabitants have adopted the space and the philosophy of El Charco,” commented Mario Hernández, director of the botanical garden.
“We insist that visitors and vendors not leave garbage because the space belongs to everyone; we are in charge, but the help of each person is very important. For example, we work directly with vendors who sell corn, water, and food, and we do great collaborative work. They must take the garbage that they generate away with them, and one of the conditions that we put on vendors is that they use recyclable containers. They cannot serve food in Styrofoam,” Hernández said.
The operational team of the festival, made up of 33 people, has different roles, from overseeing the
ritual, sports, music, and trade, to feeding the dancers and everyone involved. The team was supported by
two trucks, a sedan, and a 4×4 that helped them reach the more inaccessible locations. Tents are set
up, water pipes are bought, public restrooms are set up, and support is provided so that everything can be
carried out in the most effective way.
Finally, Hernández said, “Order and respect are invaluable factors. The people of the town and the
neighborhoods behave very well, without generating any type of conflict. It is a completely family party,
it is beautiful to see how they meet and coexist in a respectful way with each other and with nature.”
