Diosa Centéotl - Who will it be?

It is all happening now.  This city is packed with visitors.  I will add that one again, the Oaxacan city planners have royally screwed up, in that you literally can't get there from here with all the road construction.  Perfect timing once again. 

However, all is well as everyone scrambles to get ready for two weeks of celebrations.  Yesterday, in front of the cathedral in the zocalo, hundreds gathered to watch the first round of the finals to pick this year's Diosa Centéotl, the goddess of the gueleguezta.  Women come from all over the state, from all the regions, in their traditional trajes or outfits and present themselves and speak about the uniqueness of their region.  Declamation is a high art here and each woman really vociferously made her argument as to why hers was the best.  People ate it up.

Of course, I was a little late and could not get close.  That might have been because I went to the wrong place first.  Why do I even read the pre-publicity?  Still, the ladies were, as always, beautiful and force in their presentations.

The final round is this afternoon.  Last year I managed to luck out and spot the winner early on.  My guess for this year is ......

Of course, I have a soft spot for any and all musicians, she was a personal favorite, but I had to leave before her presentation.

 But really, who will it be?  They are all worthy and perfectly oaxaqueña.

 Ready for round two, the finals.