Our cultural and artistic mission is focused on preserving, adapting, and presenting the diverse historic and living traditions

of Mexican people by developing and using our creative capacity to express the dignity and diversity of our Mexican heritage,

from its indigenous Mesoamerican roots to its contemporary expressions. We believe we can create sustainable economic

development, encourage civic engagement and rebuild our community through a continually evolving celebration of our living

Mexican culture which is the life pulse of the South Central community.

The arts and the Mexican cultural heritage of the community have always been the driving force of our cultural events.

Our events are rooted in the long-standing Mexican tradition of integrating culinary and visual arts, music, dance, drama,

and declamation into the rhythms and responsibilities of community life. We have pioneered various programs that

encourage individual and collective expression in the continuous exploration of a Border community cognizant of its

native and migrant origins, which include the creation of vast mural-covered spaces. Other innovations in our cultural

programming included bringing a community-based Day of the Dead celebration to El Paso as early as 1998. Our most recent

Day of the Dead celebration featured the music of Son de Madera, an internationally recognized musical group that plays the

traditional music of Vera Cruz, son jarocho. From 1996 to 2001, La Peña del Pueblo encouraged local talent in art, poetry, music,

and theater on Friday evenings. From 2001 to present, we have turned abandoned warehouses into living cultural spaces which

had not previously been accessible to our community.

Annually we hold three major cultural events which include:

Spring Celebration

Mole Festival

Day of the Dead

Apart from these large cultural events, we also host smaller cultural celebrations throughout the year that both pay tribute and

recognize important dates and people in Mexican culture on both sides of the border, such as our recent Dia de la Candelaria.

Our celebrations are unique in that we are able to fuse traditional arts and culture and give them a contemporary flavor that

honors the Mexican cultural heritage of our community.