Fiesta Queen Stella Castillo celebrated faith and family

After a lifetime of service and devotion to Socorro’s San Miguel Mission, 89-year-old Stella Castillo stood at the center of this year’s celebration as Fiesta Queen.

The church has been a part of her life from her very first days. Born May 1, 1936, she was baptized just eight days later.

“This was probably my first home when I was born,” she said. “I love coming to church. I love Mass. I love the Blessed Mother, the Holy Family, and the Sacred Heart. What is my favorite part of the church? Everything here is my favorite thing.”

Seated in the front pew of the church Castillo recalled that it was always her favorite seat because as a little one she enjoyed tracing the inscriptions on the marble plaque with her fingers. As she got older, the Sacred Heart santo to the right of the altar became a father figure she could share her heart with after her father passed away from black lung when she was an early teen. After her mother passed the santo of the Blessed Mother to the left of the altar became the mother-figure she could still speak to.

“I still come talk to him [Sacred Heart of Jesus]. I still tell him all kinds of things, and I ask him things and, you know, he’s helped me. He’s given me the strength to get up in the morning and work all day, whether it’s work, or volunteer work,” Castillo said.

That volunteer work has been a lifetime of devotion to the church, from helping clean to teaching the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, to taking communion to the homebound and sick. Today, she volunteers her time working in the church store and five years ago joined the choir — something she had always wanted to do but never had time for.

“I love music,” she said. “My family’s always been musical. My brother used to play guitar with every band in Socorro, and one year he even played with Al Hurricane when they came for the Fiestas.”

That love of music runs deep in her family. As a child, Castillo’s older brother taught her how to jitterbug to the song “In the Mood,” a tune she still treasures today.

“When you listen to it, you can’t help but dance,” she said. “I’ve always loved dancing.” The music, she said, is the thing she loves most about Fiestas, aside from Mass.

This year, as Fiesta Queen, Castillo will lead the procession during the Saturday evening Mass. Her grandson Damien—a former Fiesta prince—will serve as her escort.

“It’s special because he’s been part of the Fiesta tradition since he was little,” she said.

A mother of five daughters, Castillo’s family now spans 22 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren—many of whom have carried on the family’s Fiesta legacy. “It’s something we’ve always done together.”