LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Pots of tamales and live mariachi music are taking over the Carolyn G. Goodman Plaza in downtown Las Vegas as the city prepares for its annual cultural celebration.
The city launched the Tamales and Mariachi Festival in 2019 to put Mexican and Latin American traditions in the center of civic life. The festival was built around the city’s demographics, according to city leaders.
“Tamales are an ancient traditional Latin American food that originated in Mesoamerica 8,000 years ago, and we’re doing our best to showcase the different types of tamales that exist in the city of Las Vegas and the culture of Mexican heritage as well,” said Jonathan Meza, Cultural Affairs Manager for the City of Las Vegas.
Highlighting Hispanic population
Meza said the festival addresses the city’s large Hispanic population.
“We want to highlight all important cultures, especially one as large as the Hispanic population that we have here,” Meza said. “And tamales and mariachi happen to be two of the things that are very vibrant and very important in those cultures.”
The festival provides a stage for local groups, including Mariachi Alma del Sol, a community mariachi created for young musicians who wanted to keep playing after school.
“We’re just as happy to come back and show everybody what we’ve got,” said Juan Elizondo, founder of Mariachi del Sol.
Representing the city
Elizondo said the group has become part of how Las Vegas sounds and the festival gives them a chance to show that to the rest of the valley.
“There’s still a little bit of anxiety to do a good job for our people of Las Vegas,” Elizondo said. “Of course, we want them to see that we’re representing our city at the highest level possible.”
Elizondo said the event allows Latino culture to be proudly represented and become part of the city’s growth story.
“At our city as a city that’s going to grow in every single direction, not just the new buildings, not just the roadwork, but also the arts and the culture that Las Vegas and the people who inhabit it have to offer,” Elizondo said.
The Tamales and Mariachi Festival happens Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Carolyn G. Goodman Plaza across from Las Vegas City Hall.
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