Young girls dressed in brightly colored Latin American dresses began dancing as they saw a robot more than 8 feet tall approach them. They also crowded around the mechanical man as an array of lights flashed from his head.
Sam Quiroz of Round Lake was the man on stilts inside the plastic costume. He said he started performing in a robot costume 16 years ago in his native Mexico before doing it exclusively in the U.S. for the past 12 years.
“I may be crying inside my costume but when I see people happy is when I really feel my emotions,” Quiroz said. “I feel very happy doing this, but I also feel some pressure. They enjoy it all the time.”
Quiroz and his robot costume were one of the many forms of entertainment dazzling more than 1,500 people during Waukegan Community Unit School District 60’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration Thursday at the Brookside campus of Waukegan High School.
Shakedia Jones, the district’s Family and Community Engagement manager, said the annual event during Hispanic Heritage Month — Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 — is a celebration of Hispanic and Latino culture featuring food, entertainment and education.
“This is a celebration of Hispanic (and Latino) culture,” Jones said. “It is unique because we try to make it a celebration from as many countries as possible,” she added, noting people representing 15 nations were at tables explaining the customs and features of those countries.
Carolina Fabian, a member of the District 60 Board of Education, said “Hispanic” refers to nations where Spanish is the language. Brazil, where Portuguese is spoken, would not be included. “Latino culture” refers to countries where the language is derived from Latin.
Fabian said the languages that grew out of Latin are Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, and Romansh. The terms Hispanic and Latino are primarily used in the U.S. but not in the countries of Latin America.
Eight Latin American countries gained independence in September between 1810 and 1821. Fabian said those historic events are why Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated when it is.
“We celebrate our roots and keep our culture alive,” she said. “We also honor Hispanic and Latino people from American history. It is important because they are underrepresented in our history education.”
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Along one wall of the school gym were tables with people telling others about the 15 countries, as well as representatives from community organizations. Jose Arregui, a Spanish teacher in the district, was telling people about Spain, displaying banners from three of the country’s soccer clubs.
“We are the world champions,” Arregui said, referring to the country’s recent FIFA World Cup victory last summer, played in three North American countries — the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. “Soccer is very important there.”
Camila Correa, a freshman at the high school, and several of her schoolmates were helping young children make “God’s Eyes,” a craft where yarn is woven across a very small wooden cross. She said it originated in the Sierra Madre of Mexico.
Colorful dresses were worn by young girls and women. Chinelas do Morelas said her gown was handmade. They are worn in Mexico for special celebrations, particularly where there is dancing.
Lining the wall on the other side of the gym were people serving dinner featuring foods from a variety of countries, including Spain, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Guatemala, and Ecuador.
Olga Paneda was preparing food from Guatemala, where she said her family originated. She said it was original but not done the way the older women like her grandmother did it.
“They made it from scratch,” Paneda said.
Paneda said Guatemala is a very diverse country where 21 languages are spoken. Many of them are indigenous, which creates a variety of dialects throughout the country. The food reflects the variety.
Elinelsy Castillo, who recently opened El Patio restaurant in downtown Waukegan, brought dishes from the eatery, offering food made in the Dominican Republic. Everyone in line got plantains with the rest of their meal.
Along with music courtesy of a deejay in the gym, where people experienced both food and culture, there was a variety show with six acts. Dianeli Morales, a student at the high school, was the master of ceremonies.
Acts included Ritmo y Flow, Los Chinelos, Little Latinos from Carman-Buckman Elementary School’s pre-kindergarteners, Sistema Ravinia, the Glenwood Elementary School Dance Team, and Viva Latinas from Robert Abbott Middle School.