Julia Alvarez in her book, Once Upon a Quinceañera, explores the quince tradition from cultural, historical and personal perspectives. Here, he tries to clarify some of the myths and ideas surrounding this tradition, from the idea that quinceañeras come from ancient Aztec traditions to the idea that this ritual was passed down from one Latino generation to the next. He finds that most current quinces are new to many families and are different from those of the past. As a result, the tradition describes a group that is experiencing a transformation and trying to establish its roots in a past that is somewhat bleak. Many have often described the United States as a melting pot of cultures. Therefore, Americans of different cultures find themselves amalgamating their values ​​with those of American society, thus influencing the overall culture of their communities. In Once Upon a Quinceañera, the author demonstrates and applies the cultural myth of the melting pot. Latinos make up nearly 16% of the total American population, making it the second largest ethnic community. Just like many other migrant populations, Latinos try to stay connected to their Hispanic traditions and cultures. As Alvarez says, children born in the United States are then taught certain cultural events and values ​​so as to maintain their lineage. The most common, as discussed by Alvarez in his book, is the quinceañera. This refers to the celebration of a girl when she reaches the age of fifteen. This day of celebration is supposed to mark a girl's transition from being a child to an adult woman. Among other traditional symbols, these celebrations are huge and include choreographed dances and ball gowns. However, Latin girls in the United States prefer to celebrate their quinceañeras... middle of paper... the añera has been lost. To conclude, this essay examined several ways in which the myth of the melting pot was represented in Julia Alvarez's Once Upon a Quinceañera. Putting your cultural beliefs into practice is a very noble idea because it keeps your culture alive and passes it down from generation to generation. This is how Alvarez describes it in his book on the quinceañera tradition. However, these coming of age celebrations in America have met the MTV era where the celebrations focus more on extravagance than true Hispanic coming of age culture. Quinceañeras have now become corrupt because they teach girls how to behave irresponsibly when they become women. Furthermore, the ritual itself has now become a spectacle. It is for these reasons that Alvarez fears that the future generation will completely deviate from the original intent of growing quinces.