Overview
- The certificate was presented in Iztapalapa in a ceremony led by Mexico City Head of Government Clara Brugada and Mayor Aleida Alavez, with COSSIAC receiving the document.
- UNESCO’s representative in Mexico said this is the first intangible heritage declaration granted to a practice exclusive to Mexico City.
- The safeguarding plan calls for preserving historical collections, recording living memory, expanding cultural and educational outreach, limiting excessive commercialization, and protecting the Cerro de la Estrella.
- Local leaders emphasized that the eight original neighborhoods organize and finance the representation, and the recognition neither transfers control to government nor ensures automatic large funding.
- Officials highlighted the tradition’s continuous practice since the mid-19th century following the 1833 cholera epidemic, noting earlier recognitions in 2010, 2012 and inclusion in Mexico’s inventory in 2023.