The unique sounds of Little Village

by Cathryn Jijon

Source

Yesterday (June 1, 2014), I went to Little Village to explore the soundscapes there. Little Village is a low-middle income Mexican neighborhood in Chicago's South Lawndale community on the West Side of the city. Little Village, unlike Pilsen (another Mexican neighborhood) has not yet been gentrified (though this is certainly a possibility in years to come) and is still very much a Mexican community. This is evidenced not only by the storefronts (proudly displaying the Mexican flag or proclaiming Guadalajara heritage), restaurants, and people, but also by the sounds of the community.

Right off the bat, I was struck by how loud Little Village was. Even though it was a Sunday, the main thoroughfare (26th street) was abuzz with plenty of foot traffic. Another striking element that added to the soundscape of the neighborhood were the many street food vendors selling everything from mangos, to juice, to paletas, to fresh fruit. Virtually all of the conversations had on the street were in Spanish, and not a car passed by that was not playing Latin music (whether traditional Mexican mariachi or reggaeton). The storefronts played their music incredibly loudly (even in comparison to the stores in Wicker Park) and competed with one another for sonic dominance on the street.

Reflecting on my visit to Little Village, in comparison with Wicker Park, I found the soundscape to be the most unique. There were many sounds in Little Village that I feel one would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere in Chicago. For instance, in the recording of the corner of 26th and Kedzie, you can hear the bells of a man pushing a paleta cart and attempting to entice passersby to purchase paletas from him. The bells are light, airy, and beautiful, and all of the paleta carts on the street had similar sounding bells. The mixture of the paleta bells, loud Latin music blasting from the storefronts and passing cars, and the Spanish conversations made for a particularly enjoyable experience sitting on a bench in the sun.

While in Little Village, I also tried to talk to ask some of the residents whether or not they saw a connection between music and social justice.

Specifically, I spoke in Spanish with two female vendors. One was in charge of a food cart (pictured above) and another was selling jewelry a few blocks over. Neither woman wanted to be recorded, and neither woman saw a connection between music and social justice.

Below are the sounds I recorded of the Little Village (they may not be the best; they were recorded on my iPhone. Sorry!)