‘It was all so good,’ says 12-year-old parade-goer as hundreds lined Pilsen street for Chicago’s 20th annual Mexican Independence Day Parade
Santiago and Vanessa Alvarez brought their two boys, Mikel, 10, and Matteo, 12, to Pilsen Saturday afternoon to have them experience for the first time their local Mexican heritage parading through the neighborhood.
Santiago said it was important to him to have his sons come out to celebrate in Pilsen because “they should know Pilsen before it’s gentrified.”
The 20th Annual Pilsen Mexican Independence Day Parade returned to the neighborhood Saturday ahead of the actual holiday Friday.
Local groups like Pilsen Athletic League, Chicago Police Women’s Soccer, the Francisco I. Madero Middle School marching band and more walked, danced and sang their way down West 18th Street for some 10 blocks as hundreds waited on the sidewalk to take it all in.
Children waited with their parents, some in the shade and others right under the high afternoon sun, to grab candy as it was passed out from parade floats and cars. “Viva México” and “Viva Pilsen” were common cheers from the parade participants and the crowd.
Last but not least, the parade line finished with La Michoacana ice cream trucks. A paradegoer near the end yelled, “This is the best part right here!”
When the festivities wrapped around 1 p.m., people slowly began to pack up any blankets and chairs they brought to sit on and carried on with their weekend. The city’s Streets and Sanitation trucks were also close behind to sweep up West 18th Street.
For the Alvarez boys, Mikel said his favorite part was the groups who rode through on horses, while Matteo said “it was all so good.”
Santiago said he has attended the Pilsen parade before “a long time ago,” but it was the first time for his kids. The parade was canceled the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so he said this year was finally a good time for them to come, but he said there was still some concern about “how crazy things can get.”
“They’re a little bit older now and have a little bit more social training, so if anything bad were to happen, they’d be more prepared for it,” he said. “But, it was an awesome parade, and we’re really glad for it.”
Santiago said he was born in Mexico, while Vanessa was born and raised in Chicago. The family lives in Humboldt Park. Santiago said they went on vacation to Mexico this summer to give the boys a chance to “see some of their culture.”
Vanessa said coming to Pilsen is special to her also because she grew up visiting Pilsen on the weekends to see family.
“It’s really nice to bring back those memories and have the kids come here and do a full circle,” she said.
Santiago said he hopes the community will keep these traditions alive and “fight back” against attempts to gentrify the neighborhood.
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, met with parade participants and watchers at the end of the route as he waved a Mexican flag. Even though he is Ecuadorian himself, Sigcho-Lopez said the tradition of celebrating the Mexican community in Pilsen is important to him, especially after a two-year absence.
“I feel the Mexican community here has always been generous, always been kind, always been welcoming,” he said. “Seeing our community continue to be this welcoming port of entry for so many people, like the migrants and refugees that have come here recently, that’s why I feel like it’s so important to celebrate this tradition.”
He said he hears the fears of some people in the community, especially in light of the pandemic, with many having gone through difficult times and been displaced, but he said coming back this year with a “safe” parade that brought out so many people was a part of the neighborhood working to overcome any struggles.
“It’s great to see the community coming back and being resilient enough to celebrate and also to come back and fight back so that people know that we’re still here, and we’ll continue to fight to stay here,” he said.
