By Makeima Freeland

Baltimore hosts several parades throughout the year including the St. Patrick Parade, Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade, and a Greek Independence Day Parade. However, for the first time in Baltimore’s history, the city hosted a parade for the Latinx Nations.

Baltimore’s Latinx community is was celebrated in the form of a parade called The Parade of Latinx Nations, or Desfile de Naciones Latinas.

During this parade, they celebrated the cuisines, art, and music of Latin American countries. They even celebrated traditional regalia of different Latin American countries giving respect to each of their histories. But what is LatinX?

Latinx is the most popular term used among individuals living in the United States with Latin American origins including Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.The term is now used to describe people with origins in majority Spanish-speaking countries.

In order to honor these individuals at the parade, there were decorated floats and numorous musicians playing guitars and trumpets.

There was also a mariachi band playing traditional latino music.

At this parade, men, women, and children were dressed in traditional Latin American clothing as they performed folkloric regional dances.

Local schools, marching bands, businesses, and cultural organizations attended the parade. In addition to all of the individulas in attendance, over 50 rodeo horses also took part.

Nuevo Amanecer from Cockeysville, Maryland also performed an Aztec dance, known as the “Mi’totiliztli.” The dancers would chant and celebrate to the beat of wooden drums while wearing traditional outfits consisting of embroidery, animal skins, headdresses, or penachos, and decorated with bird feathers.

The dancers’ shoes were also decorated with shells and seed pods, which also serve as a musical instrument, adding to the parade visuals.

While various entertainment performed, attendees also got a taste of foods and snacks from Latin America. These refreshmants included Mexican esquite, pollo guisado con tostones from the Dominican Republic, Peruvian ceviche, pernil and arroz con gandules from Puerto Rico and more.

This parade made Baltimore history. It made it possible for the LatinX community to share their culture with the Baltimore community.

People can now experiance the LatinX parade in addition to Baltimore’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade, St. Patrick Parade, Greek Independence Day Parade.

Photo Courtesy of Marcela Valencia