CHS News:
BERNALILLO — From East Indian dance to an LGBTQ square dance group to Irish dancers, the annual Fiesta of Cultures at Coronado Historic Site celebrates the many cultures of New Mexico. This family-friendly event will be held 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18, and is co-presented by New Mexico Historic Sites and The Friends of Coronado and Jemez Historic Sites.
“We are so excited to be able to offer a mix of performers, vendors, and demonstrators that show what makes New Mexico such a vibrant place to live,” says Jessica Coyle, Instructional Coordinator Supervisor at Coronado Historic Site.
The event includes cultural dance performances by Jemez Pueblo Dancers, the Wilde Bunch LGBTQ+ Square Dancers, Trupthi’s Academy of (East Indian) Dance and Music, and McTeggart Irish Dance. The festivities will also include Conservation Carnivale, New Mexico’s science circus, and a lively Zydeco, Tejano, and Blues musical performance by Feliz Peralta. Historic Site staff will lead tours of the site’s reconstructed kiva and there will be baking demonstrations in the outdoor horno, or adobe oven.
In addition, visitors can shop from a juried show of local vendors who specialize in art, crafts, and jewelry, or purchase food from regional food trucks. The Department of Cultural Affairs’ Wonders on Wheels mobile museum will show the exhibit, “Eight Sites, One History: Explore the Past at New Mexico Historic Sites,” and offer hands-on art activities for all ages.
Fiesta of Cultures is open to the public and admission is $10 for adults and free to children 16 and younger, Tribal members, NM disabled veterans, NM foster families, Friends of Coronado and Jemez members, and Museum of New Mexico Foundation members. Tickets are available for advanced purchase online at my.nmculture.org/44481/49959 or at the event. For a full schedule of activities visit media.newmexicoculture.org/event/6894/fiesta-of-cultures.
Fiesta of Cultures is sponsored by the Friends of Coronado and Jemez Historic Sites, Museum of New Mexico Foundation, the Town of Bernalillo Lodger’s Tax, Sandia Resort and Casino, Chicky’s Coffee, New Dawn Travels, and the Wilde Bunch.
About Coronado Historic Site
Coronado Historic Site and the ancient Kuaua Pueblo are located in Bernalillo, with the scenic Rio Grande and Sandia Mountains to the east. In 1540, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado entered the Rio Grande valley somewhere near this site while searching for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold. Instead of treasure, he found a dozen Native farming villages. The site shares the complex history between the Indigenous Tiwa People and the Spanish explorers. Visitors can learn more about this history at the Visitor Center Museum, as well as explore the footprint of the Kuaua ancient site, including a reconstructed kiva and murals. Learn more at nmhistoricsites.org/coronado.