Fiesta on the Quad: Annual Movie Night Celebrates Hispanic and Latinx Heritage

Thursday evening’s clear, mild weather provided the perfect backdrop for this year’s edition. As the sun began to slip behind the trees next to MacDowell, the student organizers set up tables and put out an impressive spread of food, much of it homemade. The two student leaders of the Hispanic and Latinx Affinity Space had leaned on their heritage—and their parents—to provide a feast of potatoes with mojo sauce, tamales, tostadas, and pupusas, followed by desserts of churros and flan. 

Arianna Martinez Cavero ’25 said that about 45 community members had responded to the evening’s invitation, making for a large and festive crowd. Many faculty members brought their young children to enjoy the family-friendly evening. Before the meal began, Martinez Cavero and her co-leader, Ale Paez Peñaloza ’24, addressed the gathering to explain a bit about the dishes that lined the tables. 

“Some of the food we ordered from places around here, but some of it was made by our families,” said Martinez Cavero. “My family made these potatoes with mojo, a sauce that’s common in the Canary Islands. It’s got vinegar and basil and spices, and it’s really good.”

“These are tamales,” said Paez Peñaloza, indicating a giant cooking pot on the table behind her. “Does anyone not know how to eat a tamale? It comes in a leaf, and before you eat it, you unwrap it—so don’t eat the leaf,” she added with a laugh. The hungry crowd needed no more urging to line up and fill their plates with the delicacies on offer. 

As the darkness gathered and the feast wound down, a giant inflatable screen popped up in front of the Revers Center. This year’s movie was Rio, a 2011 animated film set in Rio de Janeiro; past years have featured screenings of Encanto and In The Heights. 

The evening gave the entire community a taste of Latin culture, both literally and figuratively. Associate Director of DEI Katie Henderson, who helped organize the festivities, said afterwards, "For the past three years, this has been one of my favorite events. It's just such a great example of the ways in which our affinity spaces create opportunities for community and cross-cultural connection."