The Mexican Independence Day parade returned to Staten Island this weekend for the fifth consecutive year, where hundreds of residents took to the streets to engage in folkloric dances, sing along to Mariachi songs, and enjoy delicious food.
Participants wreathed in rebozos and colorful patterned Quechquemitl– traditional Mexican and indigenous attires — waved flags and walked the mile long stretch of the commercial corridor in Port Richmond towards Veterans Park, where businesses set up activities for children and families and street vendors sold tacos, flautas, churros and other delicacies to bring a slice of Mexico to the community.
Organized by La Colmena, the parade on September 15 celebrates the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence against the Spanish Empire, while providing the growing Hispanic community in the area an opportunity to embrace the heritage and their culture.
“Just seeing how little children scream ‘Viva Mexico’ and are so happy, so proud. This is something that stays with them,” said Yesenia Mata, Executive Director of La Colmena, a nonprofit organization that provides job readiness training, legal assistance and other services to the immigrant community in Staten Island.
“You can never bring down someone who feels proud of their community. And I think that’s what we’re trying to do, to ensure that children grow up with that pride,” she added.
Mata, who grew up in La Villita, a small Mexican neighborhood in Chicago, would celebrate the Mexican Independence Day parade with her parents every year. After moving to Staten Island, she missed those celebrations. “That’s why it was so emotional to see it happening for the first time here [in 2020]…. I can’t wait to go back one day and see how much it has grown over the next 50 years.”
Pedro Navarro agrees with the importance of exposing kids to their ancestry. Along with his daughters Estefanía, 11, and Ashley, 5, they waited for the festivities for one hour. He said he finished work earlier and rushed to take his daughters to watch the parade.
“I am very proud. It is important for me to have them experience my culture since they are young,” he said in Spanish. “There isn’t another place like Mexico.”
Estefania, who is a big fan of dancing and art, said that she was very happy to be there. “It’s my first time here and I feel really good because I like to see all the people dancing,” she said. “The music has been my favorite thing so far.”
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This year’s parade felt special for Mata because it marked the fifth year it was hosted in Staten Island, a borough where 19.2 percent of the population is Latino, according to 2020 census data.
Mexicans are leading the Latino population swell. In 1990, there were 1,741 residents of Mexican descent. In 2010, there were 16,054 residents of Mexican descent — an increase of 822 percent in a space of 20 years, according to research from The Center for Latin American, Caribbean And Latino Studies at CUNY. The research — and this weekend’s crowd — confirm that the growing Mexican population is centered in the neighborhood of Port Richmond.
This year marks the first time all of Port Richmond Avenue closed for the parade, showing the increase of interest it has garnered from the locals in the area and visitors.
The parade attracted not just Mexican people but also witnesses of other ethnicities, including recently arrived migrants from Venezuela and Ecuador.
“We have people from various other parts of Latin America coming and saying, I want to march in the Mexican attendance, because your celebration also goes with my celebration,” Mata said, referring to the Hispanic Heritage month that starts on September 15. “They say, like, I feel connected with this [the parade]. We have people from other backgrounds marching with us. Last year we had people from Venezuela asking if they could bring their flag.”
Organizing the parade takes around a year of planning, Mata said. It involves the collaboration of more than 40 businesses, 30 street vendors and many groups, she said. Local politicians were also present, including Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, New York State Senator for District 23, which covers the north and east parts of Staten Island, and Manuel Castro, commissioner for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.
“As someone who grew up a Dreamer, who grew up an immigrant here in New York City, it’s tremendously meaningful for me to now come back to Staten Island as a commissioner for the city of New York and be here in support of the immigrant community and the Mexican community, which is growing. To let them know that, regardless of their immigration status, regardless of how they got here, they are New Yorkers and we are here to support them,” Castro said. He added that celebrations like these are important to help newly arrived migrants feel welcome and part of the community.
Some of the organizations participating included the first Latinx, LGBTQ+ group in Staten Island, Lunicorns as well as Make The Road NY and Mazarte Dance Company, which performed folkloric dances in vibrant rebozos.
Business owners also welcomed the parade who said the festivity attracts more people to visit the local restaurants. Martin Cruz and his family own the family business Los Charros, a Mexican restaurant on Port Richmond Avenue. “It’s really special for us to be here with the family celebrating,” he said, holding a Virgen de Guadalupe Flag.
Around 3 p.m., an hour after the parade started, the attendees gathered at Veterans Park. The smell of carne asada and the sweet scent of churros filled the atmosphere alongside the laughter and chatter of people who were enjoying spending time with their loved ones.
“It’s also her birthday today,” Julian Martinez, 71, said, who had visited the parade along with his wife, Ruth Muchaca, 65. They have been married for 52 years and arrived in New York one month ago from Puebla. “We feel very proud to be able to share this moment with all the community here in Staten Island.” They planned to celebrate Muchaca’s birthday at El Maricahi, a Mexican restaurant near the area.
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