How to Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month 2024 in Denver

National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed from September 15 to October 15, honors the rich history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. Denver, with its vibrant Hispanic community, offers numerous ways to celebrate this month. Here’s a detailed guide on how to immerse yourself in the festivities and pay tribute to the diverse Hispanic heritage in the Mile High City.

Participate in Local Festivals and Events

Denver hosts several events that highlight Hispanic culture during National Hispanic Heritage Month. Here are a few noteworthy celebrations you should consider attending:

• Poudre Pour Art & Culture Fest: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month  (Oct. 12, 2024): is a family-friendly annual event celebrating our river corridor’s vibrant history and culture. This year, in partnership with Mexican American History Project: Greeley, Cache NHA will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, honoring the integral role Hispanic culture has played in the history of the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area. Head to the Windsor History Museum to enjoy civic groups, performers, artisan demos and activities for all ages, plus a mini food truck rally and the always-popular People’s Choice Award craft brewers competition featuring local craft brewers! Los Martinez Bros and Grupo Presidio will perform live high-energy Latin music of various genres.
• Día de los Muertos Celebrations ‘Sugar Skull! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure'  (Oct. 6, 2024): Join your fellow Coloradans at the Parsons Theatre in Northglenn to experience “Sugar Skull! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure,” a touring bilingual/bicultural musical that uses traditional regional music and dance from Mexico to tell the story of 12-year-old Vita Flores as she gathers the missing pieces of her family’s ofrenda and searches for the true meaning of Día de Muertos.
• Day of the Dead Family Celebration  (Oct. 12, 2024): Longmont's Día de Muertos Family Celebration street festival will include music and dance performances, arts and crafts activities, cultural education, delicious food, downtown business altars and the Gigantes Procession. Park downtown or at the Longmont Museum and take the free trolley between locations so you can enjoy all the exhibitions and activities of the day.
• Día de Muertos Exhibition  (Oct. 12–Nov. 5, 2024): The free Día de Muertos exhibition returns to the Longmont Museum’s Swan Atrium this fall, featuring ofrendas (altars) built by community members and the work of local artists.
• Clay Sculpting: Día de los Muertos  (Oct. 19, 2024): In this culturally rich sculpting class at Denver Art Museum, students will use Coloradan red rock clay to explore their own ancestral relationship to cultural holidays and reconnecting with the earth, with a focus on the Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos.
• Children and Family Make and Take: Traditions of Día de los Muertos: Papier-Mâché Calaveras  (Oct. 19 & 20, 2024): Explore the artistic traditions of Día de los Muertos with Calacas y Catrinas, a display of larger-than-life skulls and skeletons hand-painted by Colorado Latinx artists at Denver Botanic Gardens. Then, decorate your own papier-mâché (or cartonería) calaveras created by contemporary Mexican artists Óscar Becerra and Ruben Mica.
• Día de los Muertos: Remembering our Ancestors through Art  (Oct. 26, 2024): This traditional Mexican holiday will be celebrated in Civic Center Park, bringing Denverites together to celebrate and honor our ancestors and loved ones who have passed. This year's event will feature art installations, an art sculpture garden, cultural performances by Azteca dancers and mariachi musicians, a community procession to honor our ancestors, community art workshops, and food from Mexican and Central American small business food truck vendors. 
• Dia De Los Muertos Art Reception  (Oct. 26, 2024): Head to The Armory Performing Arts Center in Brighton for free face painting, sugar skull decorating, Aztec Dance Performance, local vendors, music by Colorado Youth Mariachi Program and a free concert from LatinSoul Band at 7 p.m.
• Dia De Los Muertos Art Crawl   (Nov. 1, 2024): Celebrate Día de los Muertos with 40 West Arts! Experience the rich cultural traditions through stunning exhibitions, intricate altars and the dynamic performances of Aztec dancers. Enjoy the artistry of traditional Indigenous and Latino/a/x creators, savor delicious bites from authentic food trucks, and get hands-on at the craft stations. Don’t miss the chance to have your face painted and immerse yourself in this vibrant celebration. This free event is open to all ages, promising a memorable experience for the whole family.
• First Friday: Dia de Muertos Celebration (Nov. 1, 2024): Join Museo de las Americas for this "Day of the Dead" themed iteration of First Friday. Enjoy shopping amongst local artists and vendors, try tasty bites and cocktails from food trucks, see the exhibition, meet a fellow art-loving neighbor — oh, and did we mention the general admission is free?
• Noche De Museo: Celebrating Day of the Dead (Nov. 2, 2024): Head to Longmont Museum to enjoy an evening of live performance in celebration of Día de Muertos that will span the ages, from ancient Aztecan dance to the genre-bending rock and roll of iZCALLi. This annual community celebration of a centuries-old Mexican tradition has quickly become part of the cultural fabric of Longmont! Co-presented with the Longmont Multicultural Action Committee.
• Mariposa Gala: A Celebration of Life, Death, and Art (Nov. 2, 2024): Celebrate the Chicano Arts & Humanities Council and Día de los Muertos at the first annual Mariposa Gala. This festive event will feature dinner, entertainment, an art auction, the honoring of Lucille Ruibal Rivera’s legacy, and a recap of CHAC’s history and impact on the Denver community. Note: Calavera face paint and Catrin/Catrina costumes are encouraged!

Explore Hispanic Cuisine

Food is a delicious way to celebrate Hispanic heritage, and Denver is home to an array of restaurants that celebrate this diverse culinary tradition:

• Taste Local Flavors: Visit local restaurants to savor authentic dishes from various Latin American countries. Try tacos, tamales, enchiladas, or a traditional empanada. Some recommended spots include La Loma, El Tejado, and Tacos Tequila Whiskey.
• Attend Cooking Classes: Many cooking schools and culinary centers offer Hispanic cooking classes during this month, allowing you to learn how to prepare traditional dishes. Check out options at the Mile High Flea Market or local cooking studios.

Support Local Hispanic Artists and Musicians

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month also means supporting local talent. Denver boasts a wealth of artists and musicians:

• Attend Concerts: Look for performances by local Hispanic musicians. Genres may include mariachi, salsa, and Latin jazz, often held at venues like the Boulder Theater or the Fillmore Auditorium.
• Visit Art Shows: Check out galleries that feature Hispanic artists. The Chicano Humanities and Arts Council (CHAC) hosts regular exhibitions showcasing the work of local Latino artists.
• Unapologetically Chicano (thru Sept. 28, 2024): Curated by Rob and Tammy Yancey, Unapologetically Chicano is a mixed media show that aims to express and celebrate the culture and experiences of Mestizo people in the United States — and more specifically, here in Colorado. The show will include sculptures, paintings, photographs and other mixed media art that reflects the evolution of (unapologetically) Chicano art.
• Have a Seat: Mexican Chair Design Today  (thru Nov. 3, 2024): is an interactive exhibition featuring three historical artworks, 17 contemporary seats designed by 22 Mexican artists, and a site-specific art installation. Through their pioneering designs, the artists embark on a journey through history and traditions, exploring the enduring legacy of the cross-cultural world that emerged in Mexico following the Spanish conquest, which incorporated elements of Indigenous, Asian, African and European cultures and continues to inspire new types of objects and furniture for the 21st century. Have a Seat showcases furniture by contemporary Mexican designers represented in the museum’s permanent collection, including Andrés Lhima, Cecilia León de la Barra, Daniel Valero, Bárbara Sánchez-Kane, Jorge Diego Etienne and many more.
• Spirit Guides Outdoor Art Tour (Sept. 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27 & 29, 2024): experience the wonder and awe of Spirit Guides at Denver Botanic Gardens on this tour that explores the outdoor sculpture exhibition as well as related plant themes. The fantastical creatures, inspired by the natural world and Zapotec astrology, are created by Oaxacan artists from the studio of María and Jacobo Angeles. Join a knowledgeable guide to learn more about their process and the rich biodiversity of Mexico flora.
• Yo Soy Arte: Calacas y Catrinas (Sept. 13–Oct. 20, 2024): this captivating exhibition celebrates Mexican culture and the artistic traditions of Día de los Muertos. It brings to life the calacas (skeletons) and catrinas (elegant skeletons satirizing high society) found in Mexican traditions. The unique approach Mexicans take toward death—cheerful and festive—is showcased with larger-than-life paper-mâché catrinas created by Los Angeles artist Ricardo Soltero and calacas hand-painted by Colorado Latinx artists. Find calacas on view at Denver Botanic Gardens (included with admission) and catrinas on view at Aurora Public Libraries.
• Migrants, a Tale of Two Hearts  (Oct. 10, 2024–Jan. 26, 2025): is full of internal changes taking place in the physical body and mental state. This exhibit will explore the internal and external experiences of the immigrant who leaves home in search of a new and better life. See it at Museo de las Americas.

Engage with Cultural Institutions and Galleries

Numerous institutions in Denver focus on preserving and promoting Hispanic heritage:

• Museo de las Americas: This museum is dedicated to showcasing Latin American art and culture. During Hispanic Heritage Month, they may host workshops, lectures, and guided tours to educate visitors about the diverse histories and cultures of Latin America.
• Denver Public Library: Libraries often host lectures, film screenings, and discussions related to Hispanic heritage. Check their schedule for events during the month that may feature authors, filmmakers, or cultural experts.
• Arts of the Ancient Americas Galleries: The reinstalled Frederick & Jan Mayer Galleries showcase Denver Art Museum’s renowned Latin American Art and Art of the Ancient Americas collections through a presentation of more than 1,000 rare works that present the expansive history of artistic creation in Latin America. The breadth of these collections, among the most comprehensive in the United States, encompasses 3,500 years of art and culture, revealing trends, relationships and discontinuities between art created in the region.
• La Misión: This semi-permanent exhibit at Museo de las Americas explores the artwork produced as a result of the Spanish monarchy sending priests (Padres) to convert the indigenous Puebloan residents of the Rio Grande River Valley. Housed in the Tragen Folk Art Gallery, it features roughly 20 unique pieces of art that date from the 17th Century to the present and explores the narrative of the peoples living in the Rio Grande River Valley. Featuring artwork from Museo’s private collection, the exhibit examines the visual language unique to the colonial artwork of New Mexico. The gallery has been made reminiscent of a mission church interior, to provide an appropriate space and context for the many Santos, retablos and other artworks in the exhibit.
• Mud Futures with Ronald Rael: In Mud Futures, award-winning artist and professor of Architecture at UC Berkeley, Ronald Rael uses modern-day innovation to reimagine the 7,000-year-old adobe technology. Rael 3-D printed objects out of more than 10,000 lbs. of clay, straw and sand on the front porch of the History Colorado Center in downtown Denver. This adobe printing demonstration taps into Rael’s roots in Colorado’s Conejos County and challenges the viewer to think differently about materials, space and borders, while also showing how ancient technologies might be adapted to solve current building challenges and provide answers for our future.
• Borderlands of Southern Colorado: Presented in English and Spanish, Borderlands explores the shifting geopolitical history of southern Colorado. This area framed by mountains and rivers is naturally conducive to unique and resilient forms of cultural connection. An international border crossed over the people in this region, changing their lives forever, when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo moved a portion of the US–Mexico border from the Arkansas River—which flows through the middle of Colorado—down to the Rio Grande in 1848.

Join Educational Workshops and Lectures

Many organizations and educational institutions offer enriching experiences to learn about Hispanic history and culture:

• Cultural Workshops: Institutions like the University of Denver and Metropolitan State University of Denver may host workshops, talks, and community events that delve into various aspects of Hispanic culture, art, and history.
• Film Screenings: Look for Hispanic cinema screenings at local theaters or cultural centers. This is a great way to engage with stories and perspectives from the Hispanic community.

Participate in Community Service

Embrace the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month by giving back to the community:

• Volunteer with Local Organizations: Connect with local nonprofits that support the Hispanic community. Opportunities may include mentoring, tutoring, or participating in community clean-ups.
• Support Local Businesses: Make an effort to shop at Hispanic-owned businesses. Gather a list of local shops, restaurants, and markets and consider sourcing your goods from these enterprises.

Conclusion

National Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate the rich tapestry of Hispanic culture and history right here in Denver. From attending festivals and supporting local businesses to engaging in educational activities, there are countless ways to honor the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. Embrace the spirit of the month by immersing yourself in the festivities, traditions, and community that make Denver a vibrant place for everyone. Happy celebrating!

Contact me today with any questions: 

^{Kelly Thompson-Milner, REALTOR}

^303.587.3846

^{[email protected]}

^{Kelly’s Additional Credentials:} 

^{Residential Construction Certified}

^{New Build Specialist Designation}