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Performers entertain festival-goers at the 15th annual Tempe Hispanic Heritage Festival.[/caption]Surprise festivals are my favorite festivals. As Tom and I got out of our car at the Tempe History Museum last Sunday, I could hear music coming from the courtyard and the smell of tacos wafting over from the library. We walked over to the white shade tents to find about a dozen food vendors selling all kinds of delicious concoctions like kettle corn, tacos, and roasted chili peppers. As we walked further we saw many community vendors as well; booster clubs from the Tempe school as well as a book sale put on by the library.
By this point, I still had no idea what was going on, but as I reached the main stage it finally hit me.
Festival-goers enjoy food, crafts, and a lot of Tempe history.October is Hispanic Heritage Month and this was Tempe's celebration of its hispanic roots called Tempe Tardeada. Tardeada roughly translates to "a party that takes place in the afternoon." Vendors were selling traditional hispanic cuisine. Kids could make maracas, paper flowers, and tortillas from scratch. Local musicians and dancers performed traditional ballads and dances. The Tempe History Museum had an instillation of art created by the Hispanic community as well as family cultural photo albums. We even met an oral historian who has written books about the hispanic community's influence on Tempe and their history. The place was packed. Kids were running around and dancing to the music. Adults were huddled around tables munching on peppers. Everyone was having a great time. I even saw groups of people head in and out of the museum, a place that is usually rather quiet on a Sunday. This is the way to celebrate history. You can lecture about history all you want but if you really want someone to understand a culture, immerse them in it!
Want to talk Hispanic Heritage Month? Have a burning historical question? Reach us through email at sparkysquill@gmail.com or find us on twitter @sparkysquill.
