It was a lively, festive night of music, dance, food and games at the Latin American Cultural Showcase on Oct. 17. 

“The Latinx Center is closing Heritage Month with a bang tonight as we continue to celebrate Latinx heritage and empowerment,” said Zacil Pech “DJ Sizzle Fantastic,” who greeted the attendees in both English and Spanish. 

Pech, the director of the Los Angeles-based musical and cultural movement Cumbiatón, performed the evening’s music at the celebration, an upbeat mix of traditional and modern Latin American songs. 

The event marked the conclusion of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which occurs annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. CSUSM has held several events both entertaining and educational throughout Hispanic Heritage Month to pay tribute to the Latin American community.

Co-hosted by the The Latin@ Center and Tukwut Life, the evening was a celebration of the energy and diversity of Hispanic culture. 

“We’ll have a runway to showcase different cultural attire from different countries in Latin America as well as different objects that may be found in the average household,” said Laura Lopez, CSUSM’s Centro Programs and Operations Advisor. “We have different videos that are going to be playing on our TV monitor that we brought out to showcase different dances from the different cultures.”

In addition to viewing videos of Hispanic dance, attendees also had an opportunity to watch a live dance performance from the Ballet Folklorico de CSUSM.

Other entertainment included dancing and lotería, a Mexican board game similar to bingo. Attendees also enjoyed Peruvian food and drank Jarritos sodas, a brand popular in Mexico. 

“[The showcase] is put on to represent all different areas within Latin America,” said Lopez. “Not every country in Latin America is the same…hopefully [students] learn more about the other countries that we have in Latin America.”

To learn about the Latin@ Center’s upcoming events, visit csusm.edu/latinocenter.