The Ames Mexican community celebrated Mexican Independence Day on Friday at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames. More than 200 people gathered to partake in traditional Mexican food, dances and music to celebrate the Mexican national day.

The event was disseminated almost completely through Facebook and other social media and was celebrated by ISU students and Ames community members of all nationalities and ethnic backgrounds.

Many families worked together to cook traditional Mexican food from rice pudding to tacos, evidence of an active Mexican community in the city of Ames.

The event culminated with a playing of the re-enactment of the first Mexican Independence Day that was performed last year to celebrate the bicentennial of Mexican independence from Spain.

Partygoers danced late into the night to bumping Mexican music and several live performances of traditional Mexican dances and songs.