Auditorio Guelaguetza, Theatre building on Fortín Hill, Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico.

The Auditorio Guelaguetza is a performance venue built into a hillside with a semicircular design that curves with the natural slope. This shape ensures good views and sound quality throughout the entire seating area regardless of where you sit.

A theatre for the Guelaguetza was decided in 1968 under governor Víctor Bravo Ahuja, and the project by architect Mario del Olmo, who had worked for years in Greece, was chosen. Built on the slope of Cerro del Fortín, it was inaugurated in 1974. Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz ordered a renovation in 2009 that added a velum against the sun, completed in 2010 under Gabino Cué Monteagudo.

The name Guelaguetza comes from Zapotec and refers to the reciprocal gifts of crafts, fruit and drinks that regional delegations bring to share with the audience. Since 1968 each delegation has presented a candidate for the title of the goddess Centeotl, who is publicly invested and presides over the festivities.

The auditorium stands on the slope of Cerro del Fortín, beside the hotel zone and reached by the Carretera Panamericana. The approach from the lower city is uphill, so arriving by car or local transport that serves the hill is easier. The open-air seating is exposed to sun and rain, and the white canopy added in 2009-2010 shades only part of the rows.

Inside the building is the installation "2501 Migrantes" made up of thousands of clay figures created by artist Alejandro Santiago. Each small figure represents an Oaxacan migrant and quietly honors the stories of people who left their homes.