As the sun set behind the Swaim Amphitheater, Aggie Park came alight with the sounds of the Hispanic Heritage Festival, hosted by MSC Town Hall in collaboration with MSC Committee for the Awareness of Mexican-American Culture, or CAMAC, a Latinx programming committee.
Students gathered on Thursday evening, Sept. 18, to celebrate culture, food and community while learning about the student organizations set up around the lawn.
The festival was a part of Hispanic Heritage Month, which began on Sept. 15. It featured performances, food vendors, student groups and tables dedicated to different countries and their cultures. The four countries on display were Mexico, El Salvador, Venezuela and Honduras.
“I feel like a lot of people, when they hear Latin America, Latinx, Hispanic, their first thought is usually Mexico,” MSC CAMAC Chair psychology junior Libni Zafa Medrano said. “So one part of our committee’s purpose is bringing forth all those other students, all those countries, all those heritages, up front to the student body.”
When students checked in to the event, they received a stamp card that they could redeem for free food after visiting six tables, either from student organizations or country displays. From academic organizations to Greek life, eight total student groups tabled at the festival. Fundraising Chair and neuroscience junior Izamar Bautista Aguirre said that it provided visibility for her organization, the Latino Medical Student Association.
“We don’t have any dues, so the more members, the better,” Bautista Aguirre said. “We just want to make a safe space for everyone. And I think it’s also just really nice to talk about something that I’m really passionate about with other people, especially freshmen coming in.”
Other organizations that attended the Hispanic Heritage Festival included the League of United Latin American Citizens, Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in STEM, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Hispanic Presidents’ Council, as well as Gamma Phi Omega, Gamma Alpha Omega and MSC CAMAC.
“It’s a really good way for them to network and get their specific orgs known,” event attendee psychology junior Klarissa Garza said. “They’re really good, and they provide a lot of resources for Hispanic students specifically. And I just remember going to one of their events and feeling very supported. And I feel like it’s just such a good way for students to realize what they have at their disposal and which people are there to help them.”
Also featured were Aggieland Mariachi and Salsa Fusion, who each performed to a crowd of festival attendees before Austin-based band lluvii took the stage. Members of Aggieland Mariachi, including president Benjamin Juarez, played a set of mariachi songs followed by their rendition of the Aggie War Hymn.
“Each section [of the band] brings an equal part to the table,” Juarez said. “Without one section, it’s not full. Everyone is equal, and everyone’s part matters. So rather than it just being one person, all of our parts together is what makes the group, what makes the music. So while there’s no quote, unquote ‘face of the group,’ it’s really just all of us coming together and the culture being what we’re portraying more than just a single person.”
Salsa Fusion saw four dancers take the stage and perform a partner salsa. All of the performances were organized by MSC Town Hall, with Special Events Executive and public health junior Chloe Wilkins taking the lead.
“We’re getting to highlight them, so I’ve been in contact with them since the summer, planning out all the fine details,” Wilkins said. “It’s definitely a lengthy process of start to finish planning, but it’s so worth it in the end, when you are at the event, you get to see people enjoying live music, experiencing new cultures, it’s just great to see.”
The food vendors included La Espiga Dorada Bakery, a local Mexican bakery, and Latin and Central American restaurants Centro American Restaurant & Pupuseria and Bendiciones del Rey. MSC CAMAC Executive Director of Cultural Programs and business accounting sophomore Melissa Rodriguez was in charge of contacting the vendors, translating, getting financial statements and scheduling pick up for the food.
“Last year, the food ran out really fast,” Rodriguez said. “But we’re trying to implement a stronger structure for passing that out and making sure that it’s still fresh and everything.”
The stamp system for food allowed festival attendees to fully immerse themselves in all aspects of the event. They learned about organizations and countries, talked to dozens of people with various backgrounds and then received authentic Latin American food, all while being serenaded with cultural music.
“It’s always really important for me to communicate and express my culture to others,” Rodriguez said. “And I think this is an event that can very much do that, being able to professionally use my Spanish speaking skills, for example, but then on a personal sense, being able to express my culture and make sure others are able to do so in the correct and proper manner here, professionally and fun and educationally through the Hispanic Heritage Festival, it feels very rewarding.”
