In the cool Sunday air, the smell of fry bread and carne asada tacos mixed with a different kind of atmosphere at the Tempe Community Complex: political activism.

As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, the city of Tempe honored the founding families and Hispanic tradition of the area at the 10th annual Tempe Tardeada Festival.

With the election on Nov. 4, many organizations and political groups see the Tardeada festival as a way of connecting with the Hispanic community.

Genie Zabaleta, a Democratic volunteer and Tempe resident, sat behind a table covered in handouts with smiling Democratic faces, the first booth at the entrance to the festival.

Zabaleta said she wanted to help support voter turnout for the election.

“We’re here to get the community’s support for the Democratic candidates,” she said.

Democratic State Sen. Meg Burton Cahill also attended the festival.

“I think there’s a lot of activism,” she said. “In my lifetime, I’ve never seen the challenges we’re facing.”

She said recent events like the economy were causing people to think more politically but was surprised there was no Republican booth this year.

Mari Alvarado, a volunteer for the League of United Latin American Citizens, said it’s important to get the Hispanic community involved in politics.

“Since we’re a grassroots organization, we need to be here when the community comes out,” she said. The league has been at almost every Tardeada.

Other organizations, including the Maricopa Association of Governments and Service Employees International Union, also had booths set up.

The Tardeada Festival, located every year at Rural Road and Southern Avenue, featured traditional Latin music from mariachi to salsa and gave the community an opportunity to learn about Tempe’s history.

Nearly 300 years ago, the foundations of Hispanic culture arrived in Tempe. Ranchers and farmers moved north from Central America to settle on the Salt River, bringing their traditions and heritage along.

Many of these original families still owned the land on which ASU developed. As late as 1958, families moved off Tempe Butte to make room for the construction of Sun Devil Stadium.

The festival also drew attention to photo albums displayed in a back room of Tempe Historical Museum. Seventeen large albums show the faces of Tempe’s ancestors and the progression of the area into modern times.

Chair of the Tardeada Committee JoLyn Arredondo-Gibbons said the festival’s main goal is to ensure future generations know about the origins of the area’s Hispanic customs.

“The Hispanic culture is all about tradition,” she said. “We don’t want [the festival] to become like an Oktoberfest. It maintains the focus of educating and showcasing the culture.”

While Arredondo-Gibbons estimates 500 to 700 people showed up for the first Tardeada festival, she said more than 10,000 attended last year.

“The majority of people who attend the festival are second and third generation Hispanics,” Arredondo-Gibbons said. “They just want to make sure these families are remembered.”

Reach the reporter at channing.turner@asu.edu.