To watch Maria Diaz dance is to witness passion in motion. One of the Yucatán’s most influential bailaoras, Diaz began studying flamenco at 19 but didn’t dance seriously until she was in her 30s. Now, at 65, she is deeply entrenched in Tulum’s vibrant artistic community, and helps put on the Flamenco Festival every April. Flamenco is hugely popular in Mexico, the largest Spanish-speaking nation in the world, with academies throughout the country. The powerful fusion of song (el cante), dance (el baile) and guitar playing (etl toque) that make up flamenco is so unique that UNESCO inscribed it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.
Zoomer photographed Diaz on location in Tulum, where she spends her time practising, performing and teaching her craft, holding daily classes at the dance studio in her house, “La Casa de Maria.” If you find yourself in this southeastern coastal town, and want to click castanets with Diaz, contact her via Instagram @mariaguadalupediazalcantara. Or watch her perform with her group, Los Flamencos de Tulum, every Tuesday at Batey Mojito and Guarapo Bar, Calle Centauro Sur No. 7; and every Thursday at Be Tulum Hotel (betulum.com), Carretera Tulum-Boca Paila Km.10, 77780. Read on to find out how she stays so limber and energetic.
ZOOMER: You look fabulous. Is it due to the benefits of flamenco: strength, balance and grace?
MARIA DIAZ: It does require a lot of body work, but I was a yoga instructor for many years – in fact, I still teach classes in my studio, which I have been doing for more than 10 years. Then I started with qigong when I lived in Tepoztlán [near Mexico City], and I still continue with the practice. Qigong is like a meditation with movement, but very slow. It is different to yoga in the sense that yoga is sometimes very fast and strong. Qigong is constant breathing and movement that goes with ancient philosophy and Chinese medicine. I think that it is this combination of yoga, dancing and qigong.
Z: What is your philosophy of life?
MD: To give the best of myself. All of one’s power is offered from the heart. I believe in giving what you can, not looking for something in return. Do what you like, above all, and do it with pleasure, with happiness, with joy, and do something for others, too, not just for oneself.
Z: Who do you most admire in this world?
MD: I admire my mother a lot. She is 95 years old and is a woman with a clear mind; she has the strength to cook, to do things for herself. She has the strength to be healthy. I admire her for her strength, for her compassion. I also admire nature and the sea.
Z: Where would you love to travel next?
MD: Córdoba in Spain, because it is a very beautiful city that I know a little because I attended a retreat [there]. I think it is wonderful. And also to England, to speak English there.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Producer, Denise Shenton; hair & makeup, Esperanza Avila; nail technician, Catalina Valencia; assistant fashion stylist, Jennifer Park/P1M.ca; Tulum fashion assistant, Laia Torras; digital technician, Hadi Mourad; creative direction, Stephanie White. Photographed on location at the LUV Tulum Eco-Retreat.
A version of this article appeared in the June/July 2024 issue with the headline ‘Go With The Flow’, p. 56.
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