By Estela Diaz Knott
February 13, 2025
Photo credits: Ai Wa Katsu Productions and Robert Radifera Photography; additional photographs courtesy of the author
This past year we resurrected a festival my mother started long ago as a way to honor her remarkable legacy. Through a grant from Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia, funded by the Mellon Foundation, this living monument brought together the rich cultural tapestry of the Shenandoah Valley and the Latin American immigrant community.

My mother, born in Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, has always been the heart of our family and community. She is a bridge-builder, interpreting for courts, hospitals, and schools while raising 19 children—only two of whom were her biological children. The others were cousins, uncles, and foster children who found a home in our family. Her dedication to preserving and sharing our culture was unparalleled. From organizing fiestas in our small town of Luray, Virginia, to teaching us traditional Mexican dances and songs, she ensured that her heritage was alive in every aspect of our lives.
The Blue Ridge Montañitas Festival was not just a tribute to her; it was also a celebration of the incredible cultural exchange that defines our region. I co-organized the festival with my dear friend Amy Price Azano, who also grew up with me in Luray. Our families were both active members of the Luray Christian Church, and we grew up together as church family. As kids, Amy was part of the group of local children who learned the dances and songs my mother taught us for community performances. She has told me that it was my mother who expanded her perspective on rural life—learning from a young age that rural doesn’t necessarily mean white. Through my mother’s example, Amy saw that rural communities are made up of people from diverse cultural backgrounds, all contributing to the rich fabric of the community.

This understanding deeply influenced Amy’s work and inspired her to create the Center for Rural Education at Virginia Tech. It was an honor to partner with her on this project, as we shared a vision of celebrating the cultural diversity and interconnectedness of rural Appalachia.
As part of the festival, my group, Lua Project, wrote a collection of songs inspired by the stories of Latino immigrants who have made the Shenandoah Valley their home. These songs were created in a unique style that we call “Appalachiano,” blending the musical traditions of Latin America with those of Appalachia.
The stories behind the songs came from interviews with immigrants who shared their journeys and experiences. Each song reflects the rhythms, melodies, and poetry of the participants’ home countries, fused with the sounds of the Shenandoah Valley. For example, one song combines the lilting cadence of son jarocho with the driving energy of an Appalachian fiddle tune, while another mixes the syncopation of cumbia with the percussive beat of clogging.
The songs are more than performances—they are a way to preserve and share these stories for future generations. We are now in the process of developing a curriculum for fourth and eighth-grade classrooms that includes the songs, interviews, and accompanying lessons. This curriculum will give students a deeper understanding of the cultural richness of their region and the immigrant experiences that have shaped it.

The festival marked the launch of this project and brought the community together in a day of music, dance, food, and storytelling. In the morning, we hosted a series of workshops that reflected the blending of traditions we were celebrating. There was a clogging and baile folklórico workshop, where participants learned traditional Appalachian step dances alongside the intricate, colorful dances of Mexico. Another workshop taught attendees how to make tamales and biscuits with gravy—two staples of Mexican and Appalachian kitchens. A veterans talk highlighted the shared experiences of service among the diverse members of our community.
The performances on stage were a testament to the beauty of cultural fusion. The Loya Brothers, a group of Mexilachian musicians like myself, shared their unique sound, blending country, Tejano and Mexican styles. The Calderón Family Band played music from their home countries of Mexico and Peru, while the Shenandoah Valley Cloggers demonstrated the traditional dances of the region. Villa Sabrosa Dance Troupe performed vibrant pieces rooted in Mexican tradition, and Poder Supremo had the crowd dancing to their Tejano and cumbia tunes. Finally, our group took the stage to perform the songs we wrote for the project, bringing the audience into the stories of their neighbors and friends.
Several hundred people came out to enjoy the festivities, which included food trucks and artisan vendors from both Latin America and Appalachia. The smell of tamales mingled with the scent of fried plantain, and the strong back beat of old time fiddle joined the melodic picking of a Requinto Veracruzana. It was a day of connection, where people from different backgrounds came together to celebrate the unique culture of the Shenandoah Valley—a culture that is both deeply rooted and ever-evolving.
For me, this festival was a deeply personal moment. It felt like a culmination of everything my mother worked for and everything my family strives to continue. It honored the blending of cultures that defined my childhood—Mexican and Appalachian, music and storytelling, tradition and innovation. It also represented the work David (my husband) and I have done over the past 23 years to create music and traditions that reflect our family’s Jewish, Russian, Mexican, and Appalachian roots.
In a way, the festival was a reflection of the journey David and I took through Latin America early in our marriage. We spent a year and a half traveling from Mexico to Brazil, absorbing the rhythms and melodies of son jarocho, Afro-Peruvian music, Andean folk songs, forró, and samba. Those experiences deeply shaped our music and understanding of how culture can bring people together.
This festival reminded me of my mother’s vision: a world where traditions are celebrated, stories are shared, and people from different backgrounds come together to build something beautiful. Through this living monument, we not only honored her legacy but also inspired future generations to celebrate the rich cultural diversity of the Shenandoah Valley.
As I watched the crowd sing, dance, and connect, I felt the same joy I did as a child, performing in my community with the songs and dances my mother taught us. It’s a reminder that music, like community, is a powerful force: it has the ability to heal, connect, and inspire.
Estela Diaz Knott is a Mexilachian musician and community organizer. Find out more about Lua Project at luaproject.org.
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