Cinco de Mayo in Little Italy

For decades, the Belmont section of the Bronx has been filled with red and green due to the large Italian community. While many Italians have moved out of Belmont, red and green remain ubiquitous — but in celebration of another growing community.

On May 5, Bronx Mexicans celebrated the 7th annual Bronx Cinco de Mayo festival in observance of Mexico’s victory over France in the Battle of Puebla. Coincidentally, most of the Mexicans in Belmont are from the town in which the war occurred.

Organized by Grupo Unidos de Belmont, who owns the C-Town near the location of the event, this festival reflects the growing Mexican population in Belmont and across the Bronx. “The community was growing and every other borough had a Cinco de Mayo festival,” C-Town public relations representative Radame Perez said. “Since the first festival in 2006, attendance has gotten better and better.”

The Mexicans in Belmont have been well-received. “Like us Italians, they are hard-working and family-oriented,” lifelong Belmont resident Mary Ann Lyman, 69, said. And while there has been racial tension between Italians and Puerto Ricans in the past, that has not been the case with Mexicans. “They seem pretty peaceful,” Puerto Rican Gregory Sanabria, 43, said.

Joining the Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and Italians in Belmont are residents from Albania, Kosovo and the Dominican Republic. “Belmont might be known for its Italian community, but it’s a hidden melting pot,” Perez said.