FLAGSTAFF — Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces, Ballet Folklorico de Colores – Flagstaff, classic car owners and other supporters of active duty military and veterans joined in supporting Armed Forces Day Parade, held Saturday, May 17, 2014 in downtown Flagstaff, AZ.
The theme of this year’s event was “Remembering Fallen Warriors.”
Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church and Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces invite the public to attend the inaugural “Flagstaff Summertime Tardeada Fiesta” from 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 28 to celebrate and recognize Flagstaff’s Hispanic roots.
What is a Tardeada? It’s a vibrant afternoon festival and social dance celebrating Flagstaff’s Hispanic culture and community history.
The Flagstaff Tardeada Fiesta will take place at the parking lot of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 224 S. Kendrick St., Flagstaff. The church is a significant site because it was the pride and centerpiece of the Hispanic community when it was built in the late 1920s by Flagstaff Hispanic pioneer families, who had strong bonds to the church.
The festival’s goal is to celebrate the legacy of Flagstaff’s Hispanic culture through entertainment, music, dance, art, food and exhibits. The entertainment stage will feature Ballet Folklorico de Colores – Flagstaff, accordion music by Grupo C-J de Marley from Phoenix; and the showcase group, Mariachi Sol Azteca from Tucson.
Click here to see schedule of events.
There will also be an “Oldies” car show (from the early ’60s back to the 1940s). The event will also include a tribute to Hispanic pioneers, Hispanic veterans and recent Hispanic immigrants to the region. Free activities for children will include colorful crafts celebrating Hispanic heritage, a cakewalk and a Tardeada Coloring Contest. Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces will also sell Mexican and regular barbecue food as a fundraiser for the Our Lady of Guadalupe Cultural Center heritage fund.
A Mariachi Mass will then be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 29 at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church with the Rev. Patrick Mowrer and Mariachi Sol Azteca.
The public is invited to both events. Visit www.flagstaffnuestrasraices.org, send an email to contact@flagstaffnuestrasraices.org or call Delia Muñoz at 928-380-0380 for more information.
About the artists:
Vangie Rodriguez is a graduate of NAU. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/artzyartizta
Johnny Anaya was born and raised in Flagstaff. Click here for a profile on Anaya
For more information, send an email to Theresa Thomas at contact@flagstaffnuestrasraices.org for more information
Members of Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces continued to work through the summer, fall and approaching winter of 2013 to prepare the basement of Our Lady of Guadalupe for its public unveiling as a heritage center during the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Flagstaff, AZ.
Activities begin with a procession in the early evening on Dec. 11, 2013 from Our Lady of Guadalupe to San Francisco de Asis Catholic Church.
Las Mañanitas traditional songs will then be performed during the early morning hours of Dec. 12, 2013 at Our Lady of Guadalupe, with a community potluck to be held at 4:30 p.m. that day in the basement.
In the coming months, Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces will be adding stories, photos and videos documenting the rich Hispanic culture in Flagstaff and the rest of Northern Arizona. Please subscribe to our website to get the latest updates.
In remembering “Our Roots,” Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces is proud to recognize the sacrifice and dedication of veterans in the region. Below are some highlights of recent celebrations:
Flagstaff Nuestras Raices and the Museum of Northern Arizona partner to present the region’s own version of Day of the Dead / Día de los Muertos with the annual Celebraciones de la Gente. Below are some highlights of recent celebrations:
In remembering “Our Roots,” Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces is proud to recognize the sacrifice and dedication of veterans in the region. The group honors local veterans by participating in the annual Armed Forces Day Parade held each spring in Flagstaff, recognizing veterans during its annual Hispanic Reunion Picnic and by placing an altar dedicated to veterans at the annual Celebraciones de la Gente. Here are some photos of Hispanic veterans in Northern Arizona.
Just the other day someone mentioned that a home had been demolished on Butler Avenue near Aspen Place at The Saw Mill in Flagstaff. The home apparently belonged to an individual who worked at the old saw mill and then spent his off-hours constructing his American Dream home.
Today, all you see are skiploaders and other earth movers preparing the property for another home project. So who owned the original home? What is the history behind the story?
In this section we hope to answer those questions, provide photos, links oral histories and other resources to preserve the rich heritage of the Hispanic community in Flagstaff and elsewhere in Northern Arizona.
Do you know who owned that home near the Sawmill? Please send us a note at contact@flagstaffnuestrasraices.org. We will also do a bit of history research to round out the story.
Speaking of stories, be sure to visit “Los Recuerdos del Barrio en Flagstaff,” which highlights the memories and life stories of Flagstaff’s Spanish, Basque, Mexican and Mexican-American community. The information is presented by the Cline Library’s Colorado Plateau Archives at Northern Arizona University. You can click here to review the section’s digitized collection of Hispanic heritage in the region, including photographs and oral histories, many conducted by Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces-own Delia Munoz.
Also, click here to visit the story of Carlos Trujillo that has been rescued and is being preserved by NAU.
Click here for a photograph and some details on Jessie Jimenez Alonzo who worked for the Navajo Army Depot in Bellmont during World War II.
Do you have some Hispanic family history to share, photos, videos, a family history website? Please send us some information at Please send us a note at contact@flagstaffnuestrasraices.org so we can put you in contact with the appropriate person or organization.
The day began with a sugar skull-making workshop and progressed to musical and dance performances and educational programs, concluding with the moving closing ceremonies at the 10th annual Celebraciones de la Gente, presented on Oct. 27, 2013 by the Museum of Northern Arizona and Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces.
Activities included performances by musicians from the “Borders Songs” compilation album, dance performances by Ballet Folklorico de Colores — Flagstaff, Mariachi Sol Azteca from Tucson, a performance of Mexican folk music by local favorites Los Compadres, and educational programs by Martin Espino and Filmmaker and NAU alum Carolyn Brown.
The blessing of the altars, led by Espino and members of Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces, concluded with the traditional group photo in front of the newly-created mural by the Southwest Eclectic Artist Association.
Remembering Our Culture & History 