Las Vegas Group Celebrates Native Languages to Preserve Cultural Heritage

The Federacion Hidalguense of Las Vegas is hosting an event with the City of Las Vegas, featuring dancers, food, and music from around the world.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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The Federacion Hidalguense of Las Vegas, a nonprofit made up of volunteers from the Mexican state of Hidalgo, is hosting an event on Saturday to celebrate native languages and cultural heritage. The event, held at Sammy Davis Junior Festival Plaza, will feature dancers, food, and music from around the world, with a focus on inspiring the younger generation to maintain their roots even while living thousands of miles away.

Why it matters

In a year where many Latino families say they've felt tension and uncertainty, the local organization sees this event as an important way to bring the community together and preserve cultural identity. The celebration of native languages is a response to the historical discrimination and suppression that many indigenous languages have faced globally.

The details

The Federacion Hidalguense of Las Vegas, a nonprofit made up entirely of volunteers from the Mexican state of Hidalgo, has been working to organize this event celebrating native languages and cultural heritage. The celebration will feature dancers, food, and music from around the world, with the goal of inspiring the younger generation in Las Vegas to maintain their connections to their roots.

  • The event will take place on Saturday, February 19, 2026, starting at noon.
  • The International Mother Language Day, which this event is celebrating, was created in 1999.

The players

Federacion Hidalguense of Las Vegas

A nonprofit organization made up of volunteers from the Mexican state of Hidalgo, working to celebrate and preserve the cultural heritage of the local Latino community.

City of Las Vegas

The local government entity that is co-hosting the event with the Federacion Hidalguense of Las Vegas.

Isidro Maqueda Martin

The president of the Federacion Hidalguense of Las Vegas, who is quoted in the article discussing the importance of the event and preserving native languages.

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What they’re saying

“What we do is rescue culture, teach what we know about culture and where we come from, that's why we hold this event, Mother Language Day.”

— Isidro Maqueda Martin, President, Federacion Hidalguense of Las Vegas (fox5vegas.com)

“Because I speak a dialect, it's another language, and there are many people here who speak it, we gave ourselves this task of being able to make this event so they can express what they know.”

— Isidro Maqueda Martin, President, Federacion Hidalguense of Las Vegas (fox5vegas.com)

“For us, it is important to rescue what we know because it is being lost, it is being lost in the sense that our children who are here are no longer going to speak it.”

— Isidro Maqueda Martin, President, Federacion Hidalguense of Las Vegas (fox5vegas.com)

What’s next

The Federacion Hidalguense of Las Vegas plans to continue hosting this annual event to celebrate native languages and cultural heritage, with the goal of inspiring the younger generation to maintain their connections to their roots.

The takeaway

This event highlights the importance of preserving cultural identity and native languages, even as communities become more diverse and dispersed. By coming together to celebrate their heritage, the Latino community in Las Vegas is working to ensure that their traditions and stories are not lost, but passed down to future generations.