LA MILPA: ARTS REFUGE & NATURE RESERVE
After more than twenty-seven years of dedication, DANCE MONKS (1999-present) is in the planning phase of building an ecological home for its local cultural programs and international artist residencies. La Milpa: Arts Refuge, will be located at the foot of the Picacho mountains in the farming village of Estancia de Canal in Guanajuato, Mexico—on a land that sings of milpas, Otomi medicine, and ancestral memory. Rooted in collaboration with local wisdom keepers, the project includes over 30 acres dedicated to a Nature Reserve of native plant restoration, watershed, and wildlife protection.
In a world in need of places to gather, repair, and reimagine relationships across borders, La Milpa will offer a refuge to reconnect with our more-than-human selves, one another, and the land. As a bicultural dance company, DANCE MONKS’ work grows from community-responsive listening. After more than two decades of collaboration—and raised on both sides of la frontera—Founders, Rodrigo Esteva and Mirah Moriarty, bring unique perspectives on creating bridges of care through interdisciplinary practice.
This new cultural space will host DANCE MONKS’ programs and curated events, including:
-
A protected Nature Reserve with WALKING PATHS and areas for meditation
-
Local and international interdisciplinary ARTIST RESIDENCIES, performances, workshops, and cultural exchanges
-
NATURE AND ARTS programming for families with children
-
A small multilingual family LIBRARY with books in Indigenous languages (Otomí, Mam, Zapoteco, Mixteco, Nahuatl, Mayan, Purépecha), Spanish, and English
-
A seasonal community MILPA, an ancient agricultural-relational system of the Anahuac
-
Community Wellness trainings, and movement for social change workshops through their ongoing APAPACHO initiative
La Milpa will be a place of creative purpose, cultural revitalization, and care—a space to uplift voices that have not traditionally been heard. Need-based scholarships will be available for all programs and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
LOCATION: Situated on over 38.5 acres of mountain terrain full of mesquite trees, wild flora, stones and cactus in Estancia de Canal, Guanajuato, Mexico
San Miguel de Allende, a UNESCO World Heritage site – 15 min | Querétaro Airport – 75 min | Guanajuato – 75 min | Mexico City – 3.5 hrs
