ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It’s that time of the year when New Mexico houses are lined with luminarias, but the National Hispanic Cultural Center is doing things its own way. The world’s largest Luminito is shining throughout Albuquerque on Sunday.
20-foot-tall ‘Luminito’ to light up at National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque
The 20-foot-tall structure is the largest of its kind, and event coordinators say this is the second year of the Luminito, and it’s lit traditionally with a candle, but next year, they hope to do something even more epic.
“We’re expecting the Luminito to become even more alive. So right now, we light up the Luminito like we would a luminaria or farolito, with a little candle, right? But next year, we might see more animation and different images on the Luminito and have the crowd engage with it and wake it up,” said Zackary Quintero, executive director with the National Hispanic Cultural Center.
The name “luminito” combines two Spanish words for paper lanterns. “Faralito” is typically used in northern New Mexico, while “luminaria” is used in the south…