Hispanic Community in Kansas City

The Kansas City area has long been a home to a vibrant and growing Hispanic community. Early visitors came to the area along the Santa Fe Trail and were merchants doing business in the bustling town of Independence, Missouri (established in 1821), and later in Westport. In the early 1900s, the Atchison, Topeka, Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroads recruited workers throughout the rural areas of Mexico as a counter to labor issues with the local work force.

The Mexican recruits were transported from El Paso to jobs in the Midwest. Strong settlements followed in Topeka and the two Kansas Cities. The majority of early migrants were men who left families in Mexico. Continuing pressures, such as the U.S. labor shortage of World War I following restrictions on immigrants from Europe and the social and political problems in Mexico through the '20s, led to the move of whole families into the area.

The first migrants provided a dedicated workforce that easily moved into other manufacturing and processing enterprises such as meat packing, steel works and seasonal agricultural jobs. The depression led to the forced deportation of many of the early arrivals but a foothold had been established that was to grow. By the end of World War II, many were moving into management level jobs and their families were fully established in specific communities beyond Argentine such as Armourdale in KCK, and the Westside in Kansas City, Missouri.


CELEBRATIONS

The new arrivals became a sizable presence in the area. This was reflected in the celebrations or neighborhood fiestas that began to pop up around the city, a popular source of heritage and culture that unites the community. Important fiestas include Cinco de Mayo, with three major events taking place in the week preceding and following May 5: Fiesta Kansas City sponsored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Aztecas’ Cinco de Mayo celebration in KCK, and the Guadalupe Centers Cinco de Mayo celebration in the city’s Westside neighborhood.

 

Other festivals include the Latino Summerfest in June and Fiesta Hispana in September, in addition to smaller and equally important celebrations such as the traditional posadas during the Christmas holidays. National American hero Cesar E. Chavez’s legacy is celebrated in Kansas City in the month of April.

The Hispanic community has grown and now includes pockets of Puerto Rican, Colombian and other immigrants from throughout Central and Latin America. The strength of the Hispanic communities is reflected in an entrepreneurial vigor that has served to vitalize areas in the urban core as well as the suburbs.

CUISINE

A majority of Hispanic residents in the metropolitan area are of Mexican descent and their influence is evident everywhere. The most obvious is in the many Mexican restaurants, where what once was considered traditional Mexican food (such as tacos, enchiladas and tamales), has been infused with the regional flavors of immigrants from all parts of Mexico.

 

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You can find the tastes of the “Tapatios” of Guadalajara to the “Jarochos” of Veracruz, to the divine flavors of Michoacan and Chihuahua, in restaurants along Independence, St. John’s and Southwest boulevards in Kansas City. Similar options can be found along Central, Kansas and Metropolitan avenues in KCK.

RESOURCES

In addition to the food and many clothing and specialty shops that accompany the restaurants, strong cultural institutions have risen to provide services to the community. The Guadalupe Centers in the Westside neighborhood has provided services continuously for more than 85 years. Other organizations, such as El Centro and Mattie Rhodes have established strong presences in the area.

Cultural programming is available at Guadalupe Center, which hosts festivals and maintains an art gallery as well as a culinary arts program. The Mattie Rhodes Art Center and Art Gallery highlights local and national Hispanic artists and provides art classes, camps, workshops and tours to area youth and adults, plus hosts the popular Day of the Dead festival in the first week of October.

The Hispanic population is served by two weekly publications: Kansas City Hispanic News and Dos Mundos.

Multicultural heritage in KC