Organizing the Grand Ball caused some controversy among the planning committee. “We want guests to experience the feeling of Spain,” said Carlos De Los Ramos, a planning committee member, “But the question is, ‘Which Spain?’”A staff member who had spent time in the southern part of the country pressed for costumed “gypsies” telling fortunes and handing out sprigs of rosemary around a fountain. Another employee, who is a native of the Dominican Republic, has family living in Galicia. “Because of the strong Celtic influence in that area, we could actually have bagpipes at the Grand Ball,” de los Ramos stated. Another staff member of Portuguese ancestry advocated for Portugal’s inclusion. Some community members argued against a Night In Spain, due to the harsh Colonial period during which Native Americans were enslaved and Africans taken to Latin America as slaves. “But ultimately, Hispanics cannot ignore Spain because Spanish is our language,” says Maria Matos, the LACC’s executive director, “The influence of the language and religion on Latin America can’t be ignored.”