Crowds of people formed long lines outside busy street food vendors as the smell of cooking meat, or carne, wafted through the air in downtown Spokane on Sunday. Musicians on stage performed flamenco music nearby.
For the second year in a row, the Tacos y Tequila Festival transformed Wall Street into a scene that could have been a busy street market in Mexico over the weekend. The festival, hosted by the Hispanic Association of Business Professionals of Spokane, helps raise funds for scholarships, supports local Latino-owned businesses and celebrates the rich Latin American culture that is constantly growing in Spokane, said Isabel Mazcot de Torres, vice president of the association. business relations.
Spokane’s Hispanic and Latino population was just 6.6% during the 2020 U.S. Census, but “it’s getting bigger,” she said.
Census data shows that the population is increasing.
About 14,000 people of Latino descent moved to Spokane County between 2010 and 2020, for a 66% increase, the largest increase of any single racial category in that time frame.
In addition to scholarships, the Hispanic Business Association of Spokane also offers social services, professional assistance to business owners and a directory of Latino-owned businesses in the region.
Mexican and Chicano cultures were most represented at this year’s festival, but Mazcot de Torres said there was also representation from Colombia, Argentina and Guatemala.
Musical performances included traditional Mexican dances from Ballet Folklórico de Spokane to the electro-cumbian style of Seattle-based Terror Cactus.
While tacos and tequila have become staples in American cuisine, Mazcot de Torres said the festival gives local Spokane business owners an opportunity to take cultural ownership of two staples.
“Tacos and tequila are very popular in the US,” said Mazcot de Torres. “We’re reclaiming this as our own, but we want to share it with you.”
As the festival grew in size this year, Mazcot de Torres said he hopes the event can expand to another city block in 2023.
“I’m very pleased with the results,” she said. “We just hope the community continues to support us.”
