The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) identifies intangible cultural heritage as the "non-physical traditions and practices that are performed by a people". As part of a country's cultural heritage, they include celebrations, festivals, performances, oral traditions, music, and the making of handicrafts. The "intangible cultural heritage" is defined by the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, drafted in 2003 and took effect in 2006. Inscription of new heritage elements on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists is determined by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, an organisation established by the convention.
Mexico ratified the convention on 14 December 2005.
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Representative List Name Image Year No. Description Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead 2008 00054 Day of the Dead, as practised by the indigenous communities. Ritual ceremony of the Voladores 2009 00175 The ritual of the Voladores consists of dance and the climbing of a pole from which four of the five participants then launch themselves tied with ropes to descend to the ground. Places of memory and living traditions of the Otomí-Chichimecas people of Tolimán: the Peña de Bernal, guardian of a sacred territory 2009 00174 Traditional Mexican cuisine - ancestral, ongoing community culture, the Michoacán paradigm 2010 00400 Parachicos in the traditional January feast of Chiapa de Corzo 2010 00399 Parachicos are traditional dancers from Chiapa de Corzo who dance on the streets of the town during the Grand Fiesta festivities, which take place from January 15 to 23 every year. Pirekua, traditional song of the P'urhépecha 2010 00398 Mariachi, string music, song and trumpet 2011 00575 Mariachi is an ensemble of musicians that typically play ranchera, the regional Mexican music dating back to at least the 18th century. Charrería, equestrian tradition in Mexico 2016 01108 Charrería, also known as Jaripeo, is a sport and discipline arising from equestrian activities and livestock traditions used in the haciendas of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. La Romería (the pilgrimage): ritual cycle of 'La llevada' (the carrying) of the Virgin of Zapopan 2018 01400 The romería of the Virgin of Zapopan is an annual pilgrimage from the Guadalajara Cathedral to the Basilica of Our Lady of Zapopan. Artisanal talavera of Puebla and Tlaxcala (Mexico) and ceramics of Talavera de la Reina and El Puente del Arzobispo (Spain) making process + 2019 01462 The processes of making the artisanal talavera of Puebla and Tlaxcala (Mexico) and ceramics of Talavera de la Reina and El Puente del Arzobispo (Toledo, Spain) Bolero: identity, emotion and poetry turned into song + 2023 01990 Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition Representation of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ in Iztapalapa 2025 02237 The Passion Play of Iztapalapa is an annual event during Holy Week in the Iztapalapa borough of Mexico City.
Good Safeguarding Practices Name Year No. Description Xtaxkgakget Makgkaxtlawana: the Centre for Indigenous Arts and its contribution to safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of the Totonac people of Veracruz, Mexico 2012 00666
See also List of World Heritage Sites in Mexico
Notes
References
External links UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Official site UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in Mexico: Official site