The word comes from the Spanish novelist Miguel de CERVANTES Saavedra who wrote Don Quijote de la Mancha. So Cervantino comes from this novelist’s last name.

Cervantino is celebrated in Guanajuato as a multicultural event that started about 39 years ago with students of the University of Guadalajara. This Festival started to grow so much that the Cultural Department of Mexico got interested (CONACULTA) and took over the organization of such an important new festival. This event has become so popular that the Cervantino Administration started to place their festival in different cities in all over Mexico. This year Cervantino celebrates its 39th anniversary and has as special guests Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Mexican State Nayarit.

This year, Puerto Peñasco will also repeat our 3rd year as a part of the Cervantino Celebration, but also celebrating Las Fiestas de Agua y Sol, which is Peñasco’s own local festival. Personally, I feel that we need to protect and celebrate what I consider to be our own traditions and celebrations. We need our own identity, even though we are still a small and young city, we need to protect what is our own. That is why we decided to mix our great Rocky Point Anniversary with what Mexico celebrates in Guanajuato. If you would like to know more about the Cervantino Festival, please visit their website at www.festivalcervantino.gob.mx.