Mexican Independence Day Parade with children in pick-up truck

Originating in the late 1930s, South Chicago’s popular Mexican Independence Day Parade is the oldest of several such parades in the city. The South Chicago Mexican community is also one of the oldest in Chicago. The first Mexican Catholic parish in the city, Our Lady of Guadalupe, is also located here. Another Mexican Church, the El Salvador Baptist Church, was located on 90th and Houston. The Museum holds a number of photos of the parade from the 1930s to the 80s. This image was likely taken by photographers working with the Southeast Chicago History Project in the early 1980s.

Each of Southeast Chicago’s neighborhoods has historically been known for certain key social events that brought residents together: for South Chicago, it has been the Mexican Independence Day Parade; for the East Side, the Labor Day Parade; for early South Deering, the 4th of July celebrations.