Música, comida y baile con familia

What Hispanic Heritage Month Means to NAU’s Hispanic community

Northern Arizona University

11 min readSep 19, 2023

Vidal Mendoza (she, her, ella)| Assistant Director, Student Life Experiences

What culture(s) and/or ethnic group(s) do you identify with?

Mexicana, Latina, Chicana

What does being Hispanic/LatinX mean to you?

It means carrying the strength of my parents, grandparents, and ancestors who faced obstacles and barriers with courage so that I can have more opportunities then they did.

How do you celebrate Hispanic Heritage month?

Rica en mi culutra con música, comida y baile con familia. (Rich in my culture with music, food, and dance with family.)

Can you share a favorite tradition from your culture(s)?

My favorite tradition is attending my communities Fiestas Patrias. September 16 is a patriotic holiday in Mexico, the anniversary of Mexican Independence from Spain — it is much like America’s 4th of July.

What’s your favorite cultural dish?

My favorite cultural dish is my Chile Verde — Slow cooked pork in green chili, garlic, tomatillos, and lemon juice.

How can people be better allies to Hispanic communities?

Attending our Hispanic, Latina/o/x events here on campus. They are open to everyone!

McKenzie McLoughlin| Client Services Manager, University Marketing and Staff Advisory Council President

What culture(s) and/or ethnic group(s) do you identify with?

Latina, Guatemalteca, Chicana, Irish

What does being Hispanic/Latine mean to you?

To me, it means being a part of something bigger than my individual self. I grew up living with the proverb “It takes a whole village to raise a child”.

I have a definition of family that likely differs from others around me because my definition includes familial relatives, but also folks who have been consistent members of my life without any blood relation.

To me, that embodies the idea of collectivism, which for me means being an includer.

How do you celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?

I will celebrate this month by applauding NAU’s new Spanish Instagram account, and by attending events NAU is hosting. I am really looking forward to the Dance Night and seeing the Banda Latino Caribeña de Flagstaff, NAU’s own band, play.

Additionally, I like to intentionally focus on consuming media created by Latine artists, whether it be books, TV shows, or podcasts.

Some of my favorites that I am recommending right now are Gente-fied (on Netflix), Suave (a podcast on Spotify and Apple Music), and Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez.

Can you share a favorite tradition from your culture(s)?

I love to get together with my family before holidays and attempt to recreate my great grandma’s flour tortilla recipe. We never get it right, either too thick or non-circular but we always have a blast and they come out tasting great anyways!

What’s your favorite cultural dish?

Mmmm that is really hard to say but the first thing that popped into my head is Albóndigas because it is almost Caldo Season 😋

How can people be better allies to Hispanic communities?

I am a big advocate for using books, shows, movies created by Latine folks as a way to learn about Hispanic/Latine voices. We also have lots of great faculty and workshops to geared to helping expand our understanding of these communities.

Gabe Montaño| Professor, Department of Applied Physics and Material Sciences

What culture(s) and/or ethnic group(s) do you identify with?

Chicano, Mexican American, Latino

What does being Hispanic/LatinX mean to you?

While we are all the result of multiple identities, being Chicano and Latino are core to my identity. Part of that is intrinsic, the world sees me and typically can assess that I am from my physical appearance.

But it’s more than that — my core values and views of the world are centered in my identity as a Chicano and it tends to permeate how I engage with the world.

It means different things to me, but my cultural identity is at the center of who I am. It’s my non-hesitational response when asked and one I share proudly.

How do you celebrate Hispanic Heritage month?

Growing up, Hispanic Heritage Month was not something I was familiar with nor spent time considering. As such, it has only been later in my life that I began to consider it as a month of dedicated attention.

As such, I don’t have activities that are intrinsic to the month, but as I have gotten older I continue to find ways of engaging my community and introducing aspects of my culture and the Latinx culture to my world.

We’ve been exploring ways within APMS to create awareness and recognition around Latinx initiatives and organizations devoted to the Advancement of Chicano/Hispanic communities in STEM such as the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS).

Can you share a favorite tradition from your culture(s)?

My favorite tradition is not one centered around Hispanic Heritage Month but around the Christmas holiday — and that’s making tamales.

This goes back to my grandma and now is something that my mom and I do together. It’s an important event, focused around food, with Mariachi and bands like Los Lobos playing in the background.

It’s as much to honor my grandma and ancestors as it is about the food, it’s that continuation of tradition and time together that is really at the core.

What’s your favorite cultural dish?

See the answer above! :-) There is nothing like a New Mexican tamale!

How can people be better allies to Hispanic communities?

I think one of the most important things with any culture is to actively engage and to be active listeners in engaging. The Latinx/Chicano/Hispanic communities are not monolithic. There are dramatic differences between the various communities that constitute these populations and they’re worth getting to know and appreciate.

Enter into discussions openly. And it’s ok to make mistakes or assumptions when dealing with our communities — that’s why it’s so important to engage.

Don’t feel you need to be knowledgeable to a point of not making an assumption. That’s why we all need to talk more — we learn from each other. I learn something knew with every question that comes to me about my culture and I view that as an opportunity for me to learn

Yvonne M. Luna | Vice Provost for Academic and Workforce Alliances and Professor of Sociology

What culture(s) and/or ethnic group(s) do you identify with?

Mexican-American and Chicano/a

What does being Hispanic/LatinX mean to you?

Being Latinx means being part of a diverse and large ethnic category that includes all groups with Latin American ancestry.

My cultural identity is specifically Mexican-American or Chicano/a, a beautiful and rich cultural heritage with Mexican roots and unique American experiences.

This means my family speaks both Spanish and English, we favor Mexican cuisine, and we engage in many Mexican traditions, such as during the holidays.

How do you celebrate Hispanic Heritage month?

I try to attend campus events to the extent possible and I enjoy celebrating Mexican Independence with good food and discussions about the significance of that historic day. My dad is a history buff so I particularly enjoy talking with him about Mexican history.

Can you share a favorite tradition from your culture(s)?

I love Dia de los Muertos.

I specifically make it a point to go to the Museum of Northern Arizona every year to observe the altars and watch the Mexican dancers like baile folklorico.
I also make my own altar in memory of my mom and brother.

What’s your favorite cultural dish?

I love tacos! And, when my mom was alive, she made Mexican bread pudding and it was one of my favorite dishes.

How can people be better allies to Hispanic communities?

People can be better allies to Hispanic communities by advocating for increased awareness of cultural variations among Hispanic groups.

In addition, they can be aware of social and political issues unique to these populations such as disenfranchisement and (un)equal access to higher education.

Once aware, they can educate others and support policies and actions aimed at inclusivity, such as promoting voting rights.

Emyly Fernandez, Graduate Student

What culture(s) and/or ethnic group(s) do you identify with?

I identify myself as a Mexican-American and/or as a Latina.

What does being Hispanic/LatinX mean to you?

Coming from a Mexican culture — for me it means family, diversity, first generation and it ties with the expression “the American dream.”

Even though as a women in STEM, who is the first from her family to graduate from a 4-year university and continue with her education (Master’s program) — we still see underrepresentation of not only women but Hispanic/Latinx people.

With that being said, I encourage everyone as a community to encourage others to continue their education, to be leaders, and/or to be advocates.

How do you celebrate Hispanic Heritage month?

I honestly don’t celebrate just one month — I mean it’s nice that the U.S. recognizes Hispanic Heritage for at least a month. But it’s an everyday or year celebration. I do this by embracing my culture, with food, with family, with friends.

Can you share a favorite tradition from your culture(s)?

I would say I don’t have a favorite tradition but I do love when my mom makes our favorite dish for our birthdays.

What’s your favorite cultural dish?

My favorite dish would be Tamales Nejos with Chicken Mole Verde! 

How can people be better allies to Hispanic communities?

At the end of the day people can be better allies to Hispanic communities by not creating barriers or labels. By standing up to those who are not being allies. Educating themselves, having some kind of knowledge on the hardships of our people. For all of the Hispanic/Latinx communities — don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself!

Dr. T. Mark Montoya | Associate Dean for Curriculum and Student Affairs, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Associate Professor, Ethnic Studies Program

What culture(s) and/or ethnic group(s) do you identify with?

LatinX & New Mexican

What does being Hispanic/LatinX mean to you?

Family, community, & collaboration

How do you celebrate Hispanic Heritage month?

By being my authentic self

Can you share a favorite tradition from your culture(s)?

Familia! Always celebrating something or someone.

What’s your favorite cultural dish?

New Mexican stacked red chile beef enchiladas with an egg, overeasy (especially Mom’s).

How can people be better allies to Hispanic communities?

Listen, learn, & communicate

Luis Carlos Estrada

I am a Graduate Assistant at the Office of the President, and I am currently pursuing my Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in the W.A. Franke College of Business. I recently graduated with Marketing degree as well.