This week, a sold-out crowds gathered in Aspen, Colorado for the inaugural Raizado House of Latinx Festival, a three-day event filled with music, art exhibits, film screenings, panel discussions and more. Planned as an opportunity to highlight issues and achievements in the Latino community — especially in an area known for events that attract white and wealthy elites — the festival included headline performances from massive names in the Latino music industry, including star Mexican Belinda and the region’s rising singer-songwriter Lupita Infante.
Both artists were drawn from the festival’s mission to uplift Latinos across the country, especially after the mass shooting in Uvalde and the number of lives lost in the community due to Covid-19. Infante brought the mariachi group Campanas de America with him on stage when he performed on Wednesday. She has known the band for several years and many of them helped record her Grammy-nominated album romances. Campanas de America was among nearly 50 mariachi musicians who visited Uvalde in June to sing and honor the lives lost during the tragedy.
“Mariachi is an essential part of celebrating every life event in our culture. From baptisms, confirmations, weddings, parties, even funerals, mariachi is the common component that enhances the spirit of these moments,” says Infante. Rolling Stone. “Campanas understands the importance of the music and culture they represent, and they do a beautiful job of supporting our community even in the midst of the worst tragedies.”
She adds: “I grew up loving and deeply appreciating everything that makes Mexican music special. I have made honoring the greats – including my own family – a central theme throughout my recorded and live performances. So many Mexicans and other Latinos work here in Aspen and are an integral part of the community, but not everyone knows about their contributions.”
On Wednesday, Belinda took to the stage and sang some of her favorite songs, including “Contigo en la Distancia” and “Sal de Mi Piel”. “My goal was to make everyone enjoy the joy and passion that we as Latinos live for,” she says. Rolling Stone. “We are such an incredible, diverse and celebratory community and I definitely want to make sure everyone feels that at the Raizado Festival.”
“To have a festival designed to be a celebration of the power, culture, truth and history of the Latino community is something incredibly rare,” Belinda continues. “I’m excited to perform some of my favorite songs for an amazing group of attendees made up of artists like myself, culture enthusiasts, and community members of all backgrounds from across the US and Latin America.”
The festival, which kicked off on August 30, featured host Annie Gonzalez (Gentefied, Vida, Shameless)Julissa Calderón (Dear, with love, Buzzfeed’s But Like), and Mauro Castillo (Beauty, “We don’t talk about Bruno”). U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper and Rep. Joaquin Castro were among several politicians who showed up.
