Festival Rock y Ruedas de Avándaro

The Festival Rock y Ruedas de Avándaro (also known as the Festival de Avándaro) was a historic Mexican rock concert held on 11 September 1971 on the shores of Lake Avándaro in the central Mexican state of Mexico. The festival has since been referred to as the "Mexican Woodstock" with similarities to the American Woodstock festival held in 1969 such as psychedelic music, counterculture imagery and artwork like the peace movement symbol, and open drug use. A milestone in the history of Mexican rock music, the one-day concert was estimated to have drawn over 200,000 concertgoers.

The event was named the Festival Rock y Ruedas de Avándaro (or the Rock and Wheels Festival of Avándaro in English) because it initially was planned as a sponsored auto race with live rock music. The festival's impetus began when it was suggested to Mexican auto racer, Eduardo Lopez Negrete, that the auto race being organized include ambient music. The organizers then consulted Armando Molina who suggested including twelve live bands (Molina later joined in organizing the event).

The concert unfortunately ended in mass confusion and disarray with government eventually being called on to help restore civil order and evacuate the large number of stranded attendees. In the aftermath of the post-festival turmoil, the Mexican government is claimed to have suppressed similar countercultural events and Mexican rock music in general for years to come.

Festival film footage ― including footage shot by renown Mexican television producer, Luis de Llano Macedo, for a planned but never-aired TV special ― has been incorporated in various movies and documentaries over the years including the 1972 film starring America-born Mexican actress, Angelica Maria, entitled La Verdadera Vocación de Magdalena.

Select performers (in alphabetical order)

• Bandido
• El Amor
• El Epilogo
• El Ritual
• Fachada de Piedra
• La División del Norte
• La Ley de Heródes
• Los Dug Dug's
• Los Tequila
• Mayita Campos y Los Yaki
• Peace & Love
• Sociedad Anónima
• Soul Masters
• Three Souls In My Mind (El Tri)
• Tinta Blanca
• Zafiro

References

• Cruz, Octavio Hernandez (Oct-Nov 1996). "A 25 Años del Festival de Rock y Ruedas en Avandaro". La Banda Elástica. pp. 4. 
• Rodríguez O., Jaime; Kathryn Vincent (1997). Common Border, Uncommon Paths: Race, Culture, and National Identity in U.S.-Mexican Relations. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0842026738. 
• Zolov, Eric (1999). Refried Elvis: The Rise of the Mexican Counterculture. University of California Press. ISBN 0520215141. 

External links

• http://raybrazen.webng.com/avandaro
• http://raybrazen.webng.com/dugdugs
• http://robquero.tripod.com/Avandaro2.
• http://www.uaem.mx/ufm/especiales04/img_2001/2001/avandaro/index.htm
• http://www.maph49.galeon.com/avandaro/avandaroa.html
• http://www.appalachiangetaways.com/Avandaro%20Mexican%20Woodstock.html
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3UJL7FKc_Q&feature=related