Among the many musical traditions of Mexico, the son is an expression of the richness and diversity of Mexican culture. This vibrant musical genre--performed by small ensembles, with or without singing, and danced--appears throughout Mexico, marked by regional differences in both instrumentation and performance style. Thus, son traditions can be seen as a genuine indicator of the idiosyncrasies of the various Mexican cultures. My dissertation deals with issues of representation and construction of identity and tradition through musical events showcasing son traditions from the Huasteca, Jarocho, and Tierra Caliente cultural regions. Drawing on extensive ethnographic work conducted in these regions, I examine how the concepts of identity and tradition are performed, renewed, and negotiated through festivals and other cultural (both educational and performative) projects seeking to revitalize the Mexican son and the production and transmission of cultural heritages. Chapter One sets the theoretical framework for my study of identity and tradition as represented and negotiated in festivals and cultural events. Chapter Two presents a historical overview of the musical genre, focusing on the three son subgenres under study. Chapter Three examines the cultural politics that prompted the founding of several festivals and cultural in the 1980s. Chapters Four, Five, and Six discuss music festivals that feature sones from the Huasteca region, sones jarochos, and sones from Tierra Caliente, respectively. Included in these chapters is a discussion of various educational and performative projects that are representative of private initiatives that have received on-and-off sponsorship from state institutions. Finally, Chapter Seven focuses on two festivals that feature several son subgenres in both rural and urban contexts. My study of these festivals will serve as a medium to examine issues of cultural promotion, cultural politics, and the use of music as a tool for social change. Lastly, Chapter Eight presents a summary and conclusions.