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Jul 06, 2023

Thousands attend fifth annual La Raza Park Day in Denver's Sunnyside neighborhood

Metzli Aragon participates in an Aztec dance during the opening ceremony of the fifth annual La Raza Park Day on Aug. 27, 2023. The fifth annual La Raza Park Day in Denver’s Sunnyside neighborhood

Metzli Aragon participates in an Aztec dance during the opening ceremony of the fifth annual La Raza Park Day on Aug. 27, 2023.

The fifth annual La Raza Park Day in Denver’s Sunnyside neighborhood kicked off with ceremonial Aztec drumming and dancing before spectators took in a lowrider gathering, lucha libre and dozens of food and craft vendors.

“It’s really hard for me to not be able to go around and look at things. The layout is great, the cars; it’s amazing,” Erika Reed said while working the Sin Fronteras Crafting Company booth at the event.

Gina Sandoval burns copal, a sacred Aztec incense, during the opening ceremony of the fifth annual La Raza Park Day on Aug. 27, 2023.

“It’s huge, all this visibility from people, getting our name out there. It’s a really a huge deal for me,” said Reed, who officially started her family business in November.

Elsewhere across the park, Alberto Rodriguez, a chef at Dos Caras, has brought a pop-up tent to sell ancestral Mexican cuisine the past three years at the event after finding out about it through connections from Re:Vision, a local food co-op.

“We don’t have a brick and mortar quite yet but this is a good opportunity. I think it’s important to understand and maintain the culture in Denver,” Rodriguez said.

From left, Danya Sanchez, Angel Sanchez and Anthony Zapata play the drums in an Aztec ceremony during the fifth annual La Raza Park Day on Aug. 27, 2023.

The Chicano and other Mexican cultures on full display at La Raza on Sunday should be preserved for generations to come, with the city designating the park as its third historic cultural district in June.

In 2020, a renaming effort officially changed the name to “La Raza Park” from its previous moniker, “Columbus Park.”

“For my community it means that this story will continue to be told forever. That no one is going to forget about it,” Denver City Councilmember Amanda Sandoval, who represents La Raza’s district and led the charge for its new designation, told the Denver Gazette.

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