Here’s how 5 Chicago Latinos celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month – and what it means to them

One Chicago creator from Ecuador says he enjoys Hispanic Heritage Month since he gets to share his culture with younger generations. Another from Puerto Rico loves showing off her pride in her culture and her own accomplishments. A Ravenswood musician from Guatemala said it’s a chance to honor the sacrifices her parents made.

While Latinos make up roughly a third of the Chicago population, the significance of the month-long celebration of various Hispanic cultures varies among residents and among the many Latino ethnicities represented in the city.

Here is a deeper look at five Latinos that make Chicago home and what the month – which continues through mid-October – means to them:

Jochy Saldivar

Looking to find his footing in a big city but never a big fan of New York, Jochy Saldivar came to Chicago in 2012. The Latin Pop artist, who goes by the name of partywatcher, is originally from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

“Through my music, I see a need for these genres that are not represented in Chicago,” said Saldivar whose influences include Prince, Janet Jackson, Fernando Villalona, Sergio Vargas, The Weeknd and Teodoro Reyes.

Though Dominicans make up less than 5,000 of the population in Chicago, Saldivar has etched his own path in the Chicago music scene since 2018 by fusing a mix of hip hop, R&B with his island’s merengue, bachata and salsa influences. His three-song EP “El Tipo” dives deeper into the Caribbean sound.

“I want to bring that Latin pop to the forefront,” Saldivar said.

The thought of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month is a bit funny to Saldivar: “Hispanic Heritage Month for me is every month,” he said, halfway chuckling.

“But it is really good to have a spotlight on the ones that came before us, the ones that put in the work, struggled and clawed to get to the point,” he adds.

This summer, Saldivar released a cumbia sonidera-laced collaboration with Bial Hclap titled “Una Vez Mas,” his most successful song to date.

“My mom loves Selena [Quintanilla]. My dad used to listen to a lot of Mexican music as well [when he was] living in Santo Domingo. My fiance is also Mexican so I try to be in touch as much as possible with all the genres out there as well,” Saldivar said.

This month, Partywatcher headlined shows at Humboldt Park’s California Clipper and at Fitzgerald’s in Berwyn. Partywatcher also is returning to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic for a performance on Dec. 20.

Valeria Chavez Roncal

Moving to Chicago three years ago felt like a homecoming for Valeria Chavez Roncal, a Peruvian-born PhD Candidate in Northwestern University’s Department of Musicology who grew up in northern Minnesota.

“I never lost that part of my culture but it was very compartmentalized,” said Chavez Roncal, who grew up only speaking Spanish at home and during yearly summer visits to Peru.

“I didn’t realize I was lacking community until I came to Chicago,” she added.

Chavez Roncal initially joined her department in hopes of studying 20th-century Russian ballet music in Paris, but after taking a class on Peruvian music she realized the lack of nuance in anglophone scholarship. The experience prompted her to tap back into her cultural heritage to chronicle the realm of cumbia music, a fusion of indigenous, African and European influences that bears a “chu-chucu-chu” rhythm. She has since changed her dissertation topic and conducted field work in her home country.

“It was a gut feeling and I didn’t really ever think twice about it,” said Chavez Roncal.

The 25-year-old is set to conduct fieldwork in Peru for a full year after receiving the Fulbright-Hays doctoral scholarship.

“It’s funny because Chicago was that thing that brought me to Peru a lot more often,” she added.

She feels prouder this month than she does any other month because she feels that she can be unapologetic about her heritage.

“All our culture is put on full blast and display and that’s what I love about it,” she said. “We have such a beautiful culture and it’s so varied in Chicago.”

Angel Aguaiza

It’s not lost on Angel Aguaiza that he is one of the few Ecuadorian creators in Chicago.

“I’m proud to represent the Ecuadorian community,” said the Avondale-raised digital creator, because it “tends to not be that represented.”

While in high school, he felt drawn to the digital world after YouTube videos of Louie Castro, a make-up content creator known for his cheeky Latino content.

“It inspired me because he came from nothing and his parents didn’t support him being gay,” said Aguaiza, who is also a member of the LGBTQ community.

Three years ago, he picked up his camera to start filming daily content for his TikTok @thatsangelslife. Now the 24-year-old is a full-time vlogger and showcases different eateries across the city, festivals, and snippets of his daily life to his more than 35,000 TikTok followers.

“I tend to focus on food because people love to go and try new places,” said Aguaiza, who says his favorite Ecuadorian spot is Panaderia Cuenca in Old Irving Park.

Aguaiza is excited for Hispanic Heritage Month because it’s an opportunity for every culture to represent who they are and learn more about what is happening in other Latin American countries.

“It’s fun to share culture with younger people in the community and people outside of the community,” he said.

Aguaiza went to Grito Fest, a two-day Mexican celebration held in Grant Park earlier this month. “Even though I am not Mexican, I love Mexican culture, the food and people!”

Deneé Barracato

Deneé Barracato can count on one hand how many college athletics administrators are Latina. The list includes Lisa Campos at University of Texas San Antonio, Desireé Reed-Francois at the University of Arizona and Irma Garcia at Manhattan College.

“There are some that I look up to but we certainly need more,” she said. “We’re the minority in that field, even as women.”

As Northwestern University’s deputy director of athletics, she leads and manages capital projects and operations, events and facilities management and more at the D1 school, giving young adults and aspiring athletes “an opportunity to fulfill their potential in life through sports.”

Originally from the Bronx and of Puerto Rican heritage, Barracato was a student athlete at Hofstra University, later playing basketball professionally for The Saints of San Juan in Puerto Rico and for the Atlanta Justice.

After overcoming an injury, she made a pivot into sports event management, working for the NCAA, Madison Square Garden Company and Queens and York Colleges

“It gives me a lot of pride to know that I’m a woman in this industry that has been able to demonstrate that you can do many things and you can come from anywhere and still be successful,” said Barracato.

She credits her parents for raising her and her sisters with an independent mindset “that we can do anything that we put our mind to.”

Hispanic heritage month gives Barracato an opportunity to reflect on diversity and inclusion and being able to show “how proud you are of your culture.”

As the Wildcats gear up for a new year, she is excited about connecting with other Latino students and athletes on campus to make them feel at home. She is also using this month to connect with her children about their Puerto Rican roots by supporting their Spanish learning.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Miriam Paz

Music has been a lifetime affair for Miriam Paz, a Ravenswood-raised resident who still recalls the thrill of exchanging songs and albums with friends. She calls it her sixth sense.

“I would have friends come in and play a bunch of music for them,” said Paz. “I would say ‘Have you heard this song? … let me put you onto this genre, onto this artist.’”

Paz mastered the guitar and piano by age 12, later mixing DJ sets by age 19. However, it would take a decade before she put herself out there as DJ Miriam.

Now Paz is co-founder and co-creator of the “Sorry Papi” tour, a world-traveling “girls only” reggaeton party that hopes to foster women’s empowerment free of sexual harassment.

It’s about “creating a space where women can just go and have fun and unleash and unwind and not have to worry about the ugliness out there,” said Paz.

Since launching in April 2022, the “Sorry Papi” tour has traveled to over 55 U.S. cities, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

“The girls love us,” the 33-year-old added.

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time for Paz to reflect on her Guatemalan roots and use her voice to continue building a legacy with her platform.

“It’s a moment to honor our parent’s sacrifices, the journey they took to come here to build a better life for us,” said Paz. “It’s also about embracing identity and sharing the traditions of my heritage to other Latinos.”

This month, Paz deejayed at the Michigan Avenue Apple Store. She is also set to cross the pond later this fall with the “Sorry Papi” tour in London.