Entering the Technical Professional High School (CTP) of Corralillo on July 23 and 24 was like traveling back in time to experience the best of traditional Guanacaste food as the Festival of the Tortilla completed it’s seven year of being held in honor of the person who initiated this tradition, Chavela Gomez, a resident of the community.
The activity has grown over the years so for this occasion, it wasn’t organized just for the school but rather the entire community was invited along with anyone else who wanted to participate from anywhere in the country and enjoy the flavor of Guanacaste.
The activities of this festival included horse races for children, masquerades, cimarrona bands, dances, concerts by local musicians and of course the main event, which was the contest to choose the champion tortilla maker.
The competition evaluated the size of the tortillas, as well as how much they grew when heated in the fire and the time it took each cook to make them.
Of course, attendees had the chance to taste the delicious tortillas, as well as chorreado corn tortillas and tamales cooked in clay ovens built by the teachers and students, accompanied by hot coffee served in gourds.The event also had the objective of raising funds for the high school.
According to Rodolfo Orozco Juarez, deputy director of the center, “we want to make improvements to the facility infrastructure, in the library and in the area of tourism.
“This activity was well received by the youth of the institution, such as Yosimar Fonseca Herrera, 16 years old, who is part of the school’s marimba group and who said that for him “the activity is a very important event because it allows us to rescue our town’s culture and is a way to instill the culture in the youth and encourage the women so that they are motivated and feel they are part of the town. For me it is very gratifying that I was taken into account for this,” he said.
Juan Rafael Fonseca Ortega, teacher and organizer of the festival, assured that from the classroom teachers seek to “guanacastecize some of the curriculum objectives.””Through the years other foreign cultures and customs have been incorporated, so we are pleased that the majority of the students identify with and get involved with the activities, like taking the message to their homes, organizing the activities and participating in them,” he added.
This year, the project was presented to the Minsitry of Culture,Youth and Sports, which declared it of cultural interest.
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