A South End Guide to Hispanic Heritage Month 2023

by Agueda Pacheco

In the last 10 years, Latinos have become one of the fastest-growing communities in King County, and with that comes their booming cultural scene. The culture — their arts, music, and dances — are particularly on display during Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sep. 15 to Oct. 15. September is when countries like Mexico, Chile, and El Salvador celebrate their Independence from Spain. Last week, Sea Mar hosted a parade in South Park and organized El Grito (the shout) — a celebration of Mexican independence — in Seattle Center, but that marks just the beginning.

Across the region, Latino communities and organizations are offering a wide variety of ways to honor and enjoy the culture of our Latino neighbors. From festivals and dance performances to the history of tacos, the Emerald has them noted below.

Want your Hispanic Heritage event included? Let us know at Arts@SeattleEmerald.org.

MEXAM NW

Sponsored by the Mexican Consulate in Seattle, MEXAM NW is a monthlong event with activities that span Puget Sound. Here in South Seattle, the festival includes a History of el Taco in Burien's Highline Heritage Museum, and the Central District's Anxestral Gallery is hosting Noche Bolero, a romantic genre of music that has been adopted across Latin America.

Festival Latinx

A little further south in Tacoma, also as part of MEXAM NW, Latinxs Unidos of South Sound and Tacoma Arts Live are hosting Festival Latinx. On Oct. 14, attendees will get their fair share of performances, music, and arts. A mercadito will also be offering artisanal gifts and food to buy and enjoy.

Seattle Latin Dance Festival

Salsa and bachata aficionados, look no further than SeaTac's Hilton Hotel. From Oct. 12 to 14, the hotel will be bursting with dancers as professionals and amateurs gather for the Seattle Latin Dance Festival. Sponsored by Bellevue Dance Studio, the festival will have workshops and boot camps with pros during the day. Later in the night, expect performances and social dances.

B-Town Fiesta

Burien has a thriving Latino community. Take a short walk around its downtown and you'll likely see dozens of Latino-owned businesses, from the MarBel Boutique, its windows brimming with quinceaera dresses, to Botas Exoticas El Lagarto with its storefront stacked with cowboy boots. So it makes sense that Burien will host its own event honoring Latinos on Sep. 23. B-Town Fiesta will be a family-friendly event at Burien Town Square Park, with vendors, live music, and a beer garden. The Fiesta runs from 10 a.m. until 9:30 p.m.

Seattle Catrinas

La Catrina is an iconic figure in Mexican culture. She was brought to life by the Mexican artist and printmaker Jos Guadalupe Posada Aguilar (Jos Posada) a successful printermaker and lithographer who died before he could see her in print. La Catrina was published in a satirical magazine in 1913. Today she is most often associated with Day of the Dead celebrations, but when Posada created her she was called "La Calavera Garbancera" — a reference to Mexicans who, by dressing more European, deny their own Mexican roots. Mind you this was during the Mexican Revolution, a time when classism was on every Mexican's mind. Today, La Catrina is part of Mexican identity, a reminder of their revolutionary roots. Come see all the Catrinas in their stylish glory at Seattle's Town Hall from Nov. 2 to 5.

Seattle Latino Film Festival

The annual Seattle Latino Film Festival begins Oct. 6 and runs until Oct. 14. The festival will take place in five venues across King County including The Beacon Cinema on Rainier Avenue and Renton's Regal Cinema. Its red-carpet opening night will be attended by Undocumented director Christian de la Cortina, and Mexican actor Jorge Martinez Colorado. The film Undocumented — which follows the journey of a Mexican journalist seeking asylum in the U.S. who gets caught up in the abusive world of under-the-table work on a Vermont dairy farm — is just one of many movies listed on the festival's marquee.

Bailadores de Bronce at the Moore Theatre

To celebrate their 50th anniversary, Bailadores de Bronce, one of Washington's legacy folkloric dance troupes will perform a variety of regional dances from around Mexico at the Moore Theatre. Nearly every one of Mexico's 32 states has its own regional and traditional dance with its own style of dress and choreography. The group is well-known around Washington, and it's their busy season as they perform across Seattle for different Hispanic Heritage Month events.

📸 Featured Image: A group of children with dance group Joyas Mestizas walking down the 2023 Fiestas Patrias Parade route. The boy is dressed as a traditional charro and the girls are dressed in the typical Japana attire from Yucatan. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco)