Fort Lewis College’s El Centro de Mucho Colores held its 13th annual Fiesta on the Mesa Friday night to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month.

The celebration started 13 years ago, Shirena Trujillo Long, coordinator of El Centro de Mucho Colores, FLC’s Hispanic organization, said.

Fiesta on the Mesa is a celebration of Hispanic culture through food, dance, and music, she said.

FLC has a Hispanic population of 11%, Long said.

Fiesta on the Mesa  is not only intended to celebrate the culture, but also to educate the community about Hispanic culture and about National Hispanic Heritage Month, she said.

This event allows the school community and the local community grow closer, she said.

Both students involved with the planning and those in attendance bring their culture through food, language, dance and music, Long said.

In attendance there were students, local community leaders, alumni, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals advocates, she said.

There was a table informing people about DACA, with a sign-up sheet where people could give their information to stay informed about updates.

Sodexo worked with Fiesta on the Mesa to offer an all-campus meal with genuine handmade fruit drinks, as well as make Fiesta on the Mesa a La Plata County healthy event, Long said.

“I like the food, but my friend actually works at El Centro, and she’s the one who invited us out.”, Shayla Tate, a student who attended the event, said. “We thought we’d show up and see what was going on.

El Centro de Mucho Colores and Club del Centro worked since last semester to make this event a reality, Valeria Calabaza, a student working at Fiesta on the Mesa, said.

Together they brought the local band Los Mitotitos, as well as a local ballet group, and a DJ to bring entertainment to the attendees.

Students from all over campus joined together for the celebration.

El Centro de Mucho Colores’ next event, a culture and identity workshop will be held September 26 at 1:00 p.m.

Follow Benjamin Mandile on twitter @BenjaminM_indy  for updates on Fiesta on the Mesa and stay up to date with FLC campus news by following @flcindependent and checking out theindyonline.com.