Privacy Policy

Last Updated: September 12, 2026

COCIO respects the privacy of our community, visitors, participants, artists, volunteers, sponsors, vendors, and supporters. This Privacy Policy explains how information may be collected, used, stored, and shared when you visit cocioguelaguetza.com, communicate with COCIO, participate in our programs, or attend COCIO events.

Our goal is to collect only the information reasonably necessary to support our cultural, educational, community, and organizational activities.

1. Information We May Collect

Information You Provide to Us

We may collect information that you voluntarily provide when you:

Contact COCIO through our website
Complete a registration or contact form
Apply to participate as a vendor, performer, volunteer, sponsor, or community partner
Subscribe to announcements or newsletters
Make an inquiry
Submit photographs, documents, stories, or other materials
Register for an event or activity
Communicate with COCIO by email, telephone, social media, or other means

This information may include your name, email address, telephone number, organization, mailing address, and any information you choose to include in your communication.

We ask visitors not to submit sensitive personal information unless it is specifically requested and necessary for a COCIO activity.

2. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically by our website, hosting provider, analytics tools, security services, or WordPress plugins.

This information may include:

Internet Protocol (IP) address
Browser and device type
Operating system
Pages visited
Date and time of a visit
Referring website
General or approximate geographic information
Cookie or similar technical identifiers

We may use this information to operate and secure the website, understand how visitors use it, troubleshoot technical problems, and improve the visitor experience.

3. How We Use Information

COCIO may use information collected through the website to:

Respond to questions and requests
Communicate with community members
Coordinate cultural events and programs
Process participant, performer, vendor, volunteer, or sponsor inquiries
Provide information about the Guelaguetza and other COCIO activities
Maintain organizational records
Improve our website and programs
Protect the security and integrity of our website
Comply with applicable legal requirements

We do not use personal information in ways that are materially different from the purposes described in this policy without providing appropriate notice when required.

4. Sale of Personal Information

COCIO does not sell personal information for monetary consideration.

We may use third-party service providers to operate our website and organizational activities. These services may process limited information on our behalf as described below.

5. Service Providers and Third-Party Services

COCIO may use third-party companies or services for functions such as:

Website hosting
WordPress website functionality
Website security
Analytics
Email communications
Event registration
Online forms
Payment or donation processing
Social media
Embedded videos
Maps and other interactive content

These third parties may collect or process information according to their own privacy policies and technologies.

For example, content embedded from services such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Google Maps, or similar platforms may allow those services to receive information about your device or interaction with the embedded content.

COCIO does not control the privacy practices of independent third-party websites and services.

6. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies.

Cookies are small files that may be stored on your device to support website functionality, remember preferences, measure website traffic, improve performance, or provide embedded third-party services.

Your browser may allow you to block, restrict, or delete cookies. Disabling certain cookies may affect some website features.

7. Photographs, Video, and Audio at COCIO Events

COCIO organizes cultural and community events, including the Guelaguetza, where photography, video recording, and audio recording may occur.

Photographs or recordings made by or for COCIO may be used for legitimate cultural, educational, historical, documentary, archival, and promotional purposes, including:

The COCIO website
COCIO social media accounts
Event programs
Posters and flyers
Newsletters
Press and community outreach
Educational materials
Historical and organizational archives
Documentation of COCIO programs and cultural events

Because many COCIO activities take place in public or community event settings, photographs and recordings may sometimes include audience members or other attendees in the background.

COCIO seeks to use community images respectfully and in a manner consistent with our cultural and educational mission.

If you believe a photograph or recording of you has been published by COCIO and you have a privacy or safety concern, you may contact us and identify the material in question. COCIO will review reasonable requests concerning removal or continued use.

A removal request does not necessarily mean that COCIO is legally required to remove historical, newsworthy, archival, documentary, or otherwise lawfully used material, but we will consider requests respectfully and in good faith.

8. Photographs and Information Concerning Children

COCIO recognizes that additional care is appropriate when photographs, video, audio, or personal information concern children.

Our website is intended for a general audience and is not designed for children under 13 to independently submit personal information.

Children under 13 should not submit names, contact information, photographs, recordings, or other personal information directly through the website without the involvement of a parent or legal guardian.

When COCIO intentionally collects personal information directly online from a child in circumstances covered by applicable children’s privacy laws, appropriate parental or guardian permission will be obtained when required.

For organized portraits, interviews, featured recordings, or similar uses involving identifiable minors, COCIO may request authorization from a parent or legal guardian.

Parents or guardians who have concerns about material involving their child may contact COCIO.

9. Submitted Photographs, Stories, Artwork, and Other Materials

If you voluntarily submit photographs, artwork, stories, historical material, cultural information, video, audio, or other content to COCIO, we may contact you regarding permission to publish, reproduce, archive, or otherwise use that material.

Submitting material to COCIO does not automatically transfer ownership of your copyright or other intellectual property rights to COCIO unless you separately agree to such a transfer.

You should submit material only when you have the authority to provide it or have received appropriate permission from the creator or rights holder.

Additional terms may apply to materials submitted for specific exhibitions, publications, contests, archives, or cultural projects.

10. Cultural and Indigenous Materials

COCIO’s website presents information concerning the peoples, communities, languages, dances, traditions, histories, artistic expressions, and cultural heritage of Oaxaca.

The presentation of such material on this website should not be interpreted as a claim by COCIO to ownership of traditional knowledge, Indigenous cultural heritage, community traditions, languages, ceremonies, dances, traditional designs, or other cultural expressions belonging to or originating with particular peoples or communities.

Where appropriate, COCIO seeks to acknowledge communities, creators, photographers, researchers, archives, and other sources associated with materials displayed on our website.

Questions or concerns regarding cultural attribution, identification, appropriate use, or provenance of materials may be brought to COCIO’s attention for review.

11. Copyright and Website Content

Unless otherwise indicated, original photographs, videos, graphics, illustrations, maps, icons, written material, website designs, and other original content created by COCIO are protected by applicable copyright and intellectual property laws.

Third-party materials remain the property of their respective creators or rights holders.

Nothing in this Privacy Policy should be interpreted as transferring intellectual property rights belonging to COCIO, community members, artists, photographers, authors, Indigenous communities, cultural organizations, or other rights holders.

Permission may be required before reproducing COCIO-created photographs, graphics, videos, maps, written materials, or other original website content outside normal personal or informational use.

12. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, organizations, sponsors, government agencies, social networks, media organizations, and other resources.

Once you leave the COCIO website, the privacy practices of the destination website apply.

COCIO is not responsible for the content, security, or privacy practices of websites operated by third parties.

13. Data Retention

COCIO may retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including organizational, historical, administrative, financial, legal, event-planning, or recordkeeping purposes.

Information that is no longer reasonably needed may be deleted, anonymized, or retained as part of an appropriate organizational or historical archive.

14. Information Security

COCIO takes reasonable steps to protect information under our control from unauthorized access, misuse, loss, alteration, or disclosure.

However, no website, electronic communication, or Internet-based system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Visitors should use appropriate care when sending personal information electronically.

15. Your Privacy Choices

Depending on applicable law and the circumstances involved, you may contact COCIO to:

Ask what personal information you have provided to us
Request correction of inaccurate information
Request deletion of certain personal information
Withdraw from optional communications
Raise a concern about how your personal information has been used
Request review of a photograph or recording involving you or your child

Certain information may need to be retained when required by law or for legitimate organizational, financial, security, historical, archival, documentary, or administrative purposes.

COCIO may need to verify your identity before responding to a request involving personal information.

16. California Privacy Rights

California residents may have additional rights concerning their personal information under applicable California privacy laws.

The particular rights available to an individual may depend on the law involved and whether that law applies to COCIO and the particular activity or information involved.

COCIO will respond to applicable privacy requests as required by law.

We will not unlawfully discriminate against an individual for exercising an applicable privacy right.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

COCIO may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our website, programs, technology, organizational practices, or applicable law.

When significant changes are made, the revised version will be posted on this page and the Last Updated date will be changed.

We encourage visitors to review this policy periodically.

18. Contact COCIO

Questions, concerns, requests for corrections, privacy inquiries, cultural attribution concerns, or requests involving photographs or recordings may be submitted to COCIO through the contact information provided on our website:

COCIO
Website: cocioguelaguetza.com

When contacting us about a photograph, video, or webpage, please provide enough information for us to identify the material involved, such as the event, approximate date, webpage, or description of the photograph.

© COCIO. All rights reserved, except where otherwise indicated. Cultural traditions, Indigenous knowledge, community expressions, and third-party materials remain subject to the rights and interests of their respective communities, creators, and rights holders.

Suggested text: Our website address is: https://cocioguelaguetza.com.