A girl from a family of garbage collectors in central Mexico celebrated her 15th birthday Saturday through Sunday in front of thousands of people after news of a previous party where no one showed up went viral.

Cameras flashed as 15-year-old Isela Anahí Santiago Morales stepped from a vintage car into the pouring rain to kick off the party in Axtla de Terrazas, San Luis Potosí.

The shy teenager looked both overwhelmed and exhausted.

Six weeks earlier, her quinceañera — the Latin American coming-of-age celebration marking a girl’s 15th birthday — had been a disappointment.

Her parents had stretched their savings for food and music, but only a few guests came.

Her father didn’t want the food to go to waste, so he put up a Facebook post saying there was enough left for 40 people, and that post went viral.

Isela lives with her parents and sister in a modest wooden house with a tin roof in Axtla de Terrazas, a town of about 32,000 in the central state of San Luis Potosi.

Her mother is of Nahuatl heritage and her parents earn a living collecting garbage. They had stretched their savings to host a small party on July 9.

But when the turnout was scant, the disappointment was sharp.

Quinceañeras hold deep cultural weight across Mexico and Latin America, representing a symbolic passage from childhood into womanhood. Families often save for years to host them.

The viral spark came when a local photographer offered a free shoot, followed by DJ and event organizer Jerónimo Rosales, who pledged to provide music.

The story spread, and donations started to pour in from local businesses and private citizens.

The municipal government offered the town’s stadium as a venue. By Saturday evening, thousands were pouring in despite torrential downpours that periodically silenced the bands.

More than a dozen local music groups performed free of charge on two stages, the state government financed the headline act that played past midnight, and local politicians gave speeches from the stage.

About 2,000 people attended, some traveling from across Mexico and even Texas.

It's not the first time a quinceañera has gone viral in the state — in 2016, millions RSVP'd and thousands showed up to the birthday party of a San Luis Potosi teenager named Rubi Ibarra after her father awkwardly invited “everyone” to attend.

Isela, who is soft-spoken and visibly uncomfortable in the glare of cameras, asked attendees to donate toys for vulnerable children instead of bringing gifts.

Still, during the evening, she opened a package on stage to find a letter granting her a 90-square-meter (969-square-foot) plot of land in Axtla. She burst into tears when she realized she now owned property in her hometown.

The local government also granted her a scholarship to continue her studies.

The marathon party stretched until dawn Sunday. The rain returned throughout the night but the crowd stayed.

For the quiet teenager, it was more than a belated birthday. It was a fleeting taste of fame, a massive party she never expected, and above all a moment to be celebrated by her community — even if she seemed ready to get back to her ordinary life once the music stopped.

AP video shot by Martín Silva Rey