YoChicago doesn’t speak much Spanish, and much of Pilsen speaks little else.
There’s an artists’ enclave in East Pilsen, but it’s not much of a factor in the larger community. Pilsen’s largely a Mexican community. It’s a showcase for small-scale entrepreneurial activity, for toe-holds on the American dream, for family values and the effect of poverty on family values.
It’s a place where just one funeral director, Concepcion Rodriguez, can talk of burying more than 150 kids who died from gang violence on its streets in the past 11 years. Pilsen’s also home to some long-time resident Anglos, who love it and say they wouldn’t live anywhere else.
Pilsen is bounded on the south and east by the Chicago River, on the west by Damen Avenue, and on the north by 16th St.
You can view more than 150 photos of Yo’s walk along 18th Street, the commercial heart of Pilsen, or see them in a Flickr slideshow.