Fiesta!

Denton residents celebrate Latino culture and much more

or Claudia Vera, Denton’s annual Fiesta-on-the-Square is a taste of home. The aroma of tamales, tostadas and fire-roasted corn permeates the air. The corn is grilled and served Mexican style, with mayonnaise spiked with chili powder. Claudia, a native of Brownsville, recommends it on a stick. “If you eat it in a cup with a spoon, that’s cheating,” she says with a laugh.

Fiesta-on-the-Square each September is a draw for Denton’s diversified Latino population and those fascinated by the city’s growing multi-cultural community,  says organizer Jorge Urbina. Since 2002, the event has grown with first-, second- and third-generation Latinos converging to learn about their culture through authentic dances, exhibits and, of course, food. Fiesta is not so much a celebration of battle, like Cinco de Mayo, but comparable to a family gathering. It is intimate. “You can sit anywhere you want, with blankets or lawn chairs,” says Claudia, who performs each year with the International Dance Company from Texas Woman’s University.

Fiesta-on-the-Square started as a celebration of Fiestas Patrias, the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Chile as well as Mexico. To keep things authentic, Jorge looks for groups representing cultures from all over the Southern Hemisphere, not just mariachi and conjunto bands. At Fiesta, there might be dancers demonstrating the culture of Chiapas (Mexico’s southern-most state bordering Guatemala), Nayarit (on the Pacific west coast), Jalisco (Guadalajara is the capital), Michoacán (south of Chiapas) or the Yucatan (by the Gulf of Mexico on the tip of the Yucatan peninsula).

TWU’s resident dance group, the International Dance Company, searches out instructors to keep performances authentic. This year, the company is working on a dance from Nuevo Leon (Monterrey is the capital). “It has become SUCH…A ...BIG…DEAL….,” says Gladys Keeton, who is in charge of the dance company at TWU. She talks fast, eager to share the fun of the festival. “We bring in people to teach the dancers.  I check their background to make sure something is authentic. Authentic steps.  We want as authentic as we can get.”

Pointing to the Fiesta-on-the-Square poster with its riot of colors and cultures, Jorge says he hopes to expand the Fiesta into a three-night multicultural celebration, not just of Latino culture. He wants to bring in the famous African percussion ensemble and steel bands from the University of North Texas, as well as other groups—maybe even offer a jazz night. Fiestas Patrias, after all, is not just about the Latino culture, Jorge points out. It symbolizes the freedom to explore all cultures and, as such, is very “telling” of  Denton’s diverse cultural offerings.

For Claudia, the Fiesta has helped her appreciate her ancestors and history. Before moving to Denton from her border hometown, Claudia says she had seen people in parades dressed in Latin region costumes, but had little personal experience with her own traditions.  “I did not know the traditional way to do my hair, my make-up. I did not know how to work a heavy skirt,” she says. Though her family cannot see her perform at Fiesta, she feels the connection to home. “I am continuing my tradition as a Mexican woman,” she says. “I have memories that go through my head, but you let those things go… You just grab your skirt and say … let’s go!”

by elizabeth padilla