The Coalición de Comunidades Indígenas de Oaxaca (COCIO) brings together Indigenous Oaxacan communities in North County San Diego. Its membership includes Mixtec, Zapotec, Triqui, Chinantec and Mixe families who came from Oaxaca and now live in the San Diego region. COCIO was founded in 1994. Its mission is to promote, strengthen and encourage indigenous cultural practices in the Americas.
COCIO is made up of member groups. Each group is organized around a shared project, often support for a hometown in Oaxaca, and runs its own committees in its own way. Leadership roles rotate among members and are unpaid. The work is done by volunteers who give their time to the community. Anyone who holds a role answers to the membership at open meetings.
COCIO’s first Guelaguetza was held at MiraCosta College in Oceanside in 1995. It moved to Cal State San Marcos in 2000 and to Palomar College in 2019. Today about 6,000 people attend each year. Dance groups organized by home region present dances from all eight regions across the state of Oaxaca, backed by bandas de viento. The festival also sends help home. Many vendors are hometown associations raising money for their villages, and festival proceeds have supported different infrastructure and cultural projects in Oaxaca. COCIO has no paid staff and relies on its members, volunteers and supporters.

COCIO accepts donations through a nonprofit 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor.