Fiesta’s La Reina and de Vargas to be selected at competition Monday
Two men and four women are competing for the roles of Capitán General y Gobernador Don Diego de Vargas and La Reina de la Fiesta de Santa Fe, respectively, in this year’s 312th Fiesta de Santa Fe.
Bernice
Talachy was appointed by the Pueblo of Pojoaque to serve as this year’s Native American princess, Santa Fe Fiesta President Krystle Lucero said in a statement Saturday.
De Vargas and La Reina will be chosen Monday, with contestants judged on delivering an English and Spanish speech and questioned in both languages on their knowledge of historical events surrounding the Fiesta, Lucero said.
The contest will take place at 7 p.m. Monday at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. Admission is $5, with tickets available at holdmyticket.com or at the door. Doors open to the public at 7 p.m.
James Vincent Ramirez and Joshua Thomas Santistevan are competing for the role of de Vargas. The candidates for La Reina are Elena Sophia Talisha Valdez, Kassandra Rosales Ugarte, Celeste Maria Cantu Sanchez and Rebekah Camille Montoya y Velarde.
Whoever is picked as de Vargas will receive his sword and medallion Friday, in a ceremony held by the Caballeros de Vargas at the yearly Baile de Cascarones, or Dance of the Eggshells, presented by La Sociedad Folklórica de Nuevo Mexico at the convention center. Tickets, which will be available at the door, are $12 per adult, $20 per couple and $2 for children ages 2 through 17, according to a Fiesta news release.
De Vargas and La Reina will be knighted and crowned, respectively, at a ceremony June 9 at the Cathedral Basilica of
St. Francis of Assisi, followed by the yearly procession to Rosario Chapel for the Novena de La Conquistadora.
This year’s Fiesta will run Aug. 31 to Sept. 8.