The village of El Cedral is found on the southern tip of Cozumel Island. It is known as the island's first official city and has a very rich history and heritage behind its name. The history of this city is explored every year at the Festival of El Cedral. From 150 years ago, this event has been held in El Cedral annually in the month of April. The event was first introduced by Casimiro Cardenas, a member of a group of survivors who fled from a mainland village called Saban to El Cedral after the War of the Castes. Legend has it that Cardenas survived a brutal attack that saw the deaths of many villagers all the while holding a wooden cross. This led him to start the annual festival to honor the power of the crucifix. Even today, there is a Holy Cross Festival, which makes up part of the El Cedral Festival.
What sort of fun can you expect from the annual El Cedral festival? While the symbolism and cultural history is rich, this is an event that is as much fun as it is educational. There are fairs, traditional style feasts, exciting rodeos, daring bullfights, live music entertainment and competition in a number of categories. The El Cedral Festival is a village-sized celebration that lasts about five days. Local village dwellers and tourists alike celebrate the unique festival. The favorite past times of celebrators include the fine dining, the many unique costumes and cultural dance and of course the tasty Mexican beer!
While the festival of El Cedral is the highlight of the year, many tourists find the village of El Cedral to be interesting in of itself, as a way to learn about past culture. El Cedral was once a major part of Maya civilization back in the 1500's until it was taken over by the Spanish. Conquistadors devastated much of the Maya temple as well as many artifacts of their civilization. After World War II, much of the site was further destroyed to make way for the island's airport. Years later, El Cedral is mainly a farming community with a few Maya ruins still in tact for tourist interest. Among these is a small structure with an arch and a cinder block church decorated inside with crosses. According to legend, Mexico's first mass was held in this church. There are also a few shops in this area that can sell you souvenirs to commemorate your El Cedral visiting experience.
The highlight of El Cedral however is the Festival of El Cedral. Many tourists come around the spring season just to experience the festival's five-day presentation in April. Tourists love the excitement of the bullfighting, the interactive fun of the competitions and the variety of food and drink available in the festival feasts. If you are making plans to visit Cozumel then put the El Cedral festival on your list of things to do. It is a culturally rich and fun experience that the whole family can enjoy.
