| | |  News Around the Republic of Mexico | October 2009 
Voladores of Papantla are Now Cultural Heritage
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October 01, 2009
| | The famous Voladores of Papantla perform their symbolic ritual of "flight" near the seahorse on the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta. | |
Papantla - The Ritual Ceremony of the Voladores of Papantla has been recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Governor Fidel Herrera Beltrán received the award Wednesday in the name of the people and the government of Veracruz, and especially the indigenous people of the Totonacapan region of the state.
The award was given during the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Governor Herrera is attending the meeting along with Rosa Borunda de Herrera, president of the Veracruz Family Development System (DIF).
The Ritual Ceremony of the Voladores of Papantla is only the second Mexican event to receive the ICH award from UNESCO, after Michoacán's Indigenous Festivity of the Dead received the honor last year.
Papantla has already been recognized on the UNESCO World Heritage List for the Cultural Heritage site, the sacred city of El Tajín. Now with two UNESCO recognitions, Veracruz confirms its status as a place of international interest.
Herrera said that the award would assure that Totonacapan culture receives better funding and promotion to safeguard its tradition of the "flying men," and he sent his congratulations to Veracruzanos who have been working to keep the ritual alive.
As part of the activities to celebrate the ICH recognition, on October 12, there will be a celebration in Takilhsukut Park, with the participation of voladores and their families.
There will also be a simultaneous ceremony at all the volador sites in Mexico.
The recognition of the Voladores of Papantla is the result of an extensive regional plan of preservation, promotion, and development of cultural heritage.
The UNESCO award was given thanks to the work of Governor Herrera and his wife Rosa Borunda de Herrera, who advocated for the heritage award through the Indigenous Art Center of Tajín.
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