40th Annual Whittier College Tardeada Celebrates Latino Culture

October 9, 2011

Whittier College will celebrate its 40th Annual Tardeada Celebration on Sunday, October 23 from 4pm-6pm in the Campus Center Courtyard on the Whittier College Campus, 7214 Painter Avenue, Whittier, CA 90608. This year’s festivities will celebrate the lifestyles and cultures of Latin America with a special emphasis on Argentina. There will be delicious, classic Argentinean cuisine and special performances by Zitango, Argentinean folkloric dancers; Paso de Oro, a Whittier-based Latin American dance group; as well as mariachi performances by Los Palmeros. Tickets for this event are $13 per person which includes food and entertainment. For more information, contact the Cultural Center at (562) 907-4962 or e-mail Luz Galbreath, Director of the Ortiz Programs at: lgalbreath@whittier.edu

Tardeada will be preceded by a special dedication of the Martin Ortiz Plaza and Fire Pit at 3 p.m. The Plaza located next to the Dezember Alumni House and Johnson Residence Hall has a working fire pit that is available for use by the campus community.

The late Martin Ortiz ’48 was the founder of the Center of Mexican American Affairs which was renamed The Ortiz Programs after his retirement of 40 years of service and dedication to Whittier College. Ortiz established Tardeada in 1971. He was a significant contributor in forming a more diverse community at Whittier. He was instrumental in increasing the number of Latino student matriculating and graduating from Whittier. Currently, nearly 30 percent of Whittier's student body is Latino—one of the highest percentages among private liberal arts colleges in the state.

Tardeada is sponsored and organized by the Whittier College Cultural Center, Ortiz Program, Amigos Unidos, and MEChA.