As the city has grown, the government has had to dedicate land to the growing of the radishes used for the event, supervising their growth and distribution to competitors.

The event also has displays and competitions for works made with corn husks and dried flowers, which are created with the same themes as those with radishes.

[1][2] In the colonial period, the radishes began to be carved with religious themes in relation to the annual Christmas market held in the city of Oaxaca on December 23, with the encouragement of priests.

[4] The legend as to how the event began says that one year in the mid-18th century, the radish crop was so abundant that a section lay unharvested for months.

While this variety has since disappeared, an image of them can be seen in a work by Diego Rivera called "Las tentaciones de San Antonio".

[4][7] Originally the radishes used by competitors were those raised by local farmers, but as the city has grown, taking over land traditionally dedicated to their cultivation, the municipal government has stepped in.

They are heavily fertilized, chemically treated and left in the ground long after normal harvests to allow them to reach monumental sizes and capricious shapes, which also makes them unsuitable for human consumption.

[2] Typically participants use knives and toothpicks to create the sculptures, after the tops of the radishes with their long, green leaves have been cut off (and sometimes used in the scenes) .

[5] Contestants register months in advance and from the 18th to the 23rd they must plan and design their scenes, generally using the natural shapes of the radishes they have been allotted as a guide.

[3][9] Visitors are permitted to pass by the stands starting in the late afternoon, with judging and the awarding of prizes taking place at about 9 pm, with the radish sculptures removed shortly after that.

[10] Despite the creation of a two-line system (the one behind on a raised platform) for visitors to file by the stands, wait times can be as long as 4–5 hours to see the entries.