Hundreds gather to celebrate Mexico's Independence Day in West Chicago
The streets of downtown West Chicago were filled with hundreds of people dressed in green, white and red Sunday, all gathered to celebrate Mexico's Independence Day.
This year's festival was run by the Mexican Cultural Center of DuPage. It included a 13-foot donkey piñata created by West Chicago resident Victor Arellano, a new bell stand for the bell that is rung to recreate "El Grito," or cry for independence, and lots of traditional food, dancing and music.
More than 50 percent of West Chicago's population is Latino, but because the majority of those Latinos are Mexican, the celebration has always taken place around Sept. 16, which marks the date in 1810 of the beginning of Mexico's War of Independence against Spain.
Danza De Los Jardineros De Chicago perform in West Chicago's Mexican Independence Parade Sunday.
Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
A large Mexican flags waves as the West Chicago Mexican Independence Parade passes by.
Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
Abraham Munoz of St. Charles performs tricks with a soccer ball while marching in West Chicago's Mexican Independence Parade.
Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com