53rd annual Mexican Independence Day parade draws large crowds to Little Village
A jubilant crowd packed the streets in the heart of Little Village on Sunday afternoon to celebrate Mexican Independence Day.
Paradegoers filled the sidewalks along 26th Street from the historic Little Village Arch to Kostner Avenue. Air horns, ¡Viva México! chants and Mexican flags filled the air. Attendees kept cool with fans and paletas.
Taina Ramirez, 19, grew up in Pilsen and has been coming to the parade for as long as she can remember. The parade is a chance for her to celebrate her Mexican heritage. She's also part Puerto Rican and was on a float in the city's annual Puerto Rico parade this summer.
"It's exciting to come and bond with strangers over our flag, dancing, our music, food and culture overall," Ramirez said. "It's nice when you see a stranger and you're waving the same flag. You share that feeling of we're from the same place."
She does her best to honor both her ancestral countries, visiting Puerto Rico and Mexico and cooking traditional foods. On Sunday she carried a large Mexican flag, and her bright red hair was tied back with green and red ribbons.
"It's important for me to spend equal time honoring both my heritages," Ramirez said.
She's studying art education at University of Illinois Chicago. She appreciates the school's large Latino population, and she is a member of the campus club LARES, or Latin American Recruitment and Education Services.
"I like to do what I can to be involved in the community, like volunteering and just overall being supportive of my communities," Ramirez said.
The 53rd annual Little Village parade on Sunday capped off a weekend of events, including car caravans downtown and El Grito Chicago in Grant Park. The official Mexican Independence Day, Sept. 16, marks the date Mexico gained independence from Spain.
Sunday is also the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through Oct. 15.
Socorro Garcia brought her 2-year-old daughter, her grandma and her husband to Sunday's parade. She was born and raised on 26th Street and is now raising her daughter in Little Village.
"It's the first parade that she's really aware of, so it's fun to watch her enjoy it," Garcia said. Like many parents at the parade, Garcia said the celebration is an important opportunity to teach her daughter about their heritage.
The people and the celebratory environment is what keeps her coming back to the parade every year. Her grandma was front and center watching the floats go by.
Antiono Perez recently moved to Chicago from Green Bay, Wisconsin. He's lived in Pilsen for five months and decided to stop by and take in Sunday's parade.
"The festivities in Green Bay aren't quite as big," Perez said. "It's really cool to come in and just watch the whole thing and see all the people coming together."
His favorite part of the parade was seeing the dancers performing baile folklórico. It reminded him of a recent trip he took to central and South America.
Part of what brought the 26-year-old to Chicago was the diversity the city offers.
"Chicago has a huge Mexican population and that adds to the pride," Perez said. "This parade really showcases the solidarity in the Mexican community."