San Marcos celebrates Diez y Seis

Cries of “Viva Mexico!” punctuated the air during the Diez y Seis celebration in downtown San Marcos this weekend. The parade and performances drew people downtown to celebrate and learn more about Hispanic culture. 

“We were Mexico at one time,” Gloria Salazar said. 

Vanessa Delgado, a student at Texas State University, runs through the street to pass out candy to a child watching the Diez y Seis parade on Saturday.

Salazar, the program coordinator for Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos, spent Saturday helping children transform crepe paper into beautiful flowers, a traditional craft. Flowers are a symbol of joy and celebration in Mexico, she said. 

Together for a Cause Inc. organized the festivities. The group brought in performers, arts and craft vendors, and speakers for the weekend. 

Gloria Salazar, of the Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marco, shows  Miette Garcia the flower headband they made. Salazar spent Saturday teaching traditional crafts to children at the Diez y Seis celebration in downtown San Marcos.

Danny Cervantes, president of San Antonio’s Old School Car Club, and a couple friends brought their cars to display downtown. The candy-colored classic Chevrolets attracted exclamations from passersby. Cervantes is used to the attention. 

“Driving down the highway everyone is like, ‘click, click’ and ‘beep, beep,’” Cervantes said, miming taking pictures and honking. 

Children from Hernandez Elementary fill a float in the Diez y Seis parade made by the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

Earlier that morning a parade wound its way through downtown. Local politicians and political candidates, area school children, and small businesses all decked out cars with streamers or rode on colorful floats.