The City of Las Cruces will conduct a public ceremony at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, to rename the stage at Plaza de Las Cruces in honor of longtime Las Cruces resident, business owner, and philanthropist Roberto Estrada.
The ceremony will be at Plaza de Las Cruces, 101 N. Main St. The stage will be renamed the Roberto V. Estrada Pavilion.
Estrada was the creator and founder of The Whole Enchilada Fiesta, which became a major community event in Las Cruces for more than three decades. The highlight of the annual event was Estrada cooking a huge, flat red enchilada from 1980 to 2014.
The enchilada was ultimately entered into the Guinness Book of World Records, as the world’s largest flat enchilada, from 2000 to 2010. Estrada made the enchilada with ingredients he unselfishly donated and with equipment he personally crafted.
Estrada’s contributions to the community were too many to count, and his impact on southern New Mexico and its residents continues to live on. Downtown Las Cruces would not be what it is today were it not for citizens like Estrada and his efforts to continually build community pride in the hearts of everyone he touched.
Estrada often donated food from his restaurant to Las Cruces residents and organizations in need. He also is credited for helping establish the Las Cruces Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Estrada was born April 26, 1937, in Mesilla. He passed away, in Las Cruces, on Aug. 18, 2021.
Mayor Ken Miyagishima and City Councilor Kasandra Gandara will speak at the event. People who attend the ceremony are encouraged to wear The Whole Enchilada Fiesta T-shirts or shirts, if they still have them, to honor the impact Estrada had on the community.
The ceremony will be uploaded to the City’s YouTube.com website by Monday, Nov. 20.
For information, call the City’s Communications Office, at 575- 541-2200.
