When the landlady had told me where it was to be held, I had no idea of what the place was like, not having been there before.
We arrived at the hacienda around 9 PM. When we drove up to a walled compound with a huge fountain and security guards we knew we were in for a special evening. It is what used to be the big hacienda of a ranch. Now the main floor is used for events and there is a bar on the second floor. The invitations had to be presented to the security people at the door before we could enter.
The building was beautiful with fountains, and 2 actual suits of armor standing beside the main doors. Lots of ceiling fans and air conditioning so we were all comfortable. The chairs and tables were covered with white clothes with colored sashes on the chairs and overcloths of the same color on the table. In the middle of the floor was a huge raised dance floor with lighting underneath it.
The evening started out with a mariachi band that was really good and they played for quite awhile. Meanwhile a lady had a chocolate fountain set up and was serving people with chocolate covered strawberries and other things. Waiters circulated with drinks and snacks were put on the tables.
The mariachi band finished and a youthful looking band took over from them. As our landlord said, this was an evening for the youth to dance. They began playing at an ear splitting level. Apparently the birthday girl wanted her quinceanera to be more modern than traditional.
Meanwhile the landlady and her sister took me on a tour of the hacienda. Outside one set of double doors was a huge patio and a swimming pool. Up a wide curving flagstone ramp flanked by fountains and wrought iron railings with inset sitting areas, was the second level patio, also very large. A staircase took you up to still another patio on the third level. Wow, what a beautiful building now right in the city. Years ago the city ended before the area where we live and the hacienda was out in the desert, now it is in a walled compound right in the city. When we finished our tour we returned to our chairs and the landlady told me I should take Roy out to see it. I did and we relaxed in one of the sitting areas on the ramp for awhile.
Back into the room, where the party girl and her dad had the first dance and then everyone began to dance. Shortly after that 3 belly dancers and 4 guys carrying a wooden pyramid arrived on the dance floor. The guys set the pyramid down on the stage and stood back while the girls did a dance. Suddenly amid smoke and sparkler type fireworks the guys opened up the pyramid and in it was the party girl in her belly dancing costume. They did several dances, and I have to say that they were all very good at it, very talented. This over with the birthday girl went and changed back into her dress and the dancing continued. At one point in the evening the band played, "achy, breaky heart" and the whole dance floor full of people began to line dance.
They had a large screen set up in one part of the room and at one point in the evening they showed a bunch of pictures of the girl from her moms pregnancy onwards. Interesting to watch and actually recognise some of the people in the photos.
The next thing we knew the zancos (stiltmen) appeared, they wandered the crowd trying to get everyone in a party frame of mind. One of them came over to me a couple of times dancing and jigging but I wasn't crazy enough to dance with him. The landlady teased Roy that he should have gotten up and danced with the guy just to see what he would have done. Anyway they wandered the crowd throwing out masks, light sticks, head bands and streamers. Everyone once in awhile they would throw out a bunch of glittery paper over the heads of the dancers. The little kids loved them. After they had wandered the crowd for a couple of hours one of them changed and they cleared an open space on the dance floor and he did a fire dance.
There was lots of security in place in and outside of the building. Every once in awhile they would do a check and if anyone underage was drinking they were escorted out. No one underage was allowed to drink and apparently they were also checking the parking lot so the young people couldn't even have it secreted in their cars.
When we decided to leave and head home, our landlord asked if we were hungry, as they were serving food outside in the courtyard. We weren't hungry and neither were they so we headed home.
A lovely, fairytale evening. One I am sure the girl will remember for the rest of her life.
The birthday girl dancing with her dad.
