Las Vegas Fiestas Grandes de Nuestra Senora de Dolores
History of Las Vegas Fourth of July Fiestas
By Cipriano Aguilar, Jr. Historian/Emcee
When the Fourth of July fiestas are celebrated we go back to the history of early days when the fiestas originated in 1888. Fiestas and its celebrations are nothing new to the Old Town Plaza. On July 4th a large gathering of people will converge this year on the Old Town Plaza and Bridge Street to join in celebration of one hundred twenty-one successive fiestas held on the Plaza since 1888.
When the first 4th of July celebration was actually held in old town, remains uncertain, but two significant celebrations were held by the residents of old town prior to 1888. Attended by Hispanics and Anglos alike, one of these fiestas was held on the Plaza in 1879, the year the railroad came to Las Vegas, giving rise to a new community-East Las Vegas.
The 1876 centennial celebration in Las Vegas commenced a few days before the 4th of July. A local Jesuit Publications, Revista Catolica, carried a lengthy article in Spanish about the significance of the 4th of July, the declaration of Independence, and the Revolutionary war. On July 3rd, the American Flag was flown on top of most commercial buildings on the plaza. On the morning of the 4th a High Mass was sung at “Nuestra Senora de Los Dolores” (Our Lady of Sorrows Church) “thanking God for all the gifts bestowed on the American citizens during the past century”. Later in the evening, a large group of people assembled on the plaza to celebrate and enjoy a large display of fireworks, a tradition that continues every year during fiestas.
Over the past years the Las Vegas has had the honor of having in attendance dignitaries and guests from around the State of New Mexico and other parts of the United States attend our Fiestas. Many well-known leaders in our community have also been chosen by the Las Vegas Fiesta Council to serve as parade marshals. The Fiestas have always had hundreds and thousands of people enjoy the fiestas that are considered by many people to be one of the very best in New Mexico.
This brief resume is only a beginning of many other fiestas and events that have taken place over the many years these fiestas have been celebrated for 120 successive years. These fiesta celebrations have continued at the plaza with some fiestas being more colorful and enthusiastic than others. Nonetheless, each year people from surrounding communities, and some who have left New Mexico, join local residents in celebrating the 4th of July. The 2009 Las Vegas Fiestas will be no different than others we’ve had in past years. Hundreds will join the 2009 Fiestas de Las Vegas, Nuestras Tradiciones, Nuestros Tesoros (Fiesta Theme).
