Tamales, mariachis draw scores to downtown Las Vegas festival

Las Vegas Review-Journal

5 years ago

Dancers from Ballet Folklorico Izel, dance company of Mexican folklore, perform at the Las Vega ... — Dancers from Ballet Folklorico Izel, dance company of Mexican folklore, perform at the Las Vegas Tamale & Mariachi Festival on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, at Centennial Plaza in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenkschmidt_

Mariachi bandmates Valeria Ibarra, 16, left, and Jasline Saltiear, 16, right, both students at Rancho High School, laugh while checking their cell phones after performing at the Las Vegas Tamale & Mariachi Festival on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, at Centennial Plaza in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenkschmidt_

A member of Mariachi Herencia pauses before performing in her traditional mariachi garb at the Las Vegas Tamale & Mariachi Festival on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, at Centennial Plaza in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenkschmidt_

Charlotte Bright, 5, of Las Vegas, has her face painted as a sugar skull at the Las Vegas Tamale & Mariachi Festival on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, at Centennial Plaza in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenkschmidt_

Violet Hernandez, 5, has a butterfly mask painted on her face at the Las Vegas Tamale & Mariachi Festival on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, at Centennial Plaza in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenkschmidt_

Gourmet Tamales serves up several different kinds of tamales, a traditional Mexican food made of masa, at the Las Vegas Tamale & Mariachi Festival on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, at Centennial Plaza in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenkschmidt_

Rosa Anaya, right, of Gourmet Tamales, serves tamales at the Las Vegas Tamale & Mariachi Festival on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, at Centennial Plaza in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenkschmidt_

Rosie Lopez of Las Vegas, right, orders a traditional Oaxacan tamale from Pedro Sanchez, center, at the Las Vegas Tamale & Mariachi Festival on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, at Centennial Plaza in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenkschmidt_

Deyla Sanchez, owner of Deylicias Oaxaque–as, makes Mexican hot chocolate at the Las Vegas Tamale & Mariachi Festival on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, at Centennial Plaza in Las Vegas. Sanchez makes the drink in a traditional Mexican clay pitcher, using a molinillo, a wooden whisk, to aerate the milk and make the hot chocolate frothy. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenkschmidt_

Mexican hot chocolate from Deylicias Oaxaqe–as is poured by the company’s owner, Deyla Sanchez, at the Las Vegas Tamale & Mariachi Festival on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, at Centennial Plaza in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenkschmidt_

The Las Vegas Tamale & Mariachi Festival brought traditional dance and mariachi music, as well as Mexican cuisine and art, to downtown Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenkschmidt_

Scores of people braved brisk temperatures Saturday to attend the Las Vegas Tamale and Mariachi Festival in downtown Las Vegas.

The festival, put on by the city of Las Vegas and held at Centennial Plaza, celebrated with not only tamales and antojitos (Mexican snacks) but also folkloric dancing and mariachi bands. The event also included arts and crafts vendors as well as tequila and beer tastings.

“Tamale-making is a ritual that has been part of Mexican life since pre-Hispanic times, today tamales are a staple during the holidays for Latino families,” according to a release on the city’s website.

The festival offered an opportunity to sample from variety of tamales while celebrating the holiday season with friends, family and community, the release said.