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First off, if you haven’t heard our latest episode about quinceañeras, listen to it here.

In “You Are Cordially Invited to Hailey’s Quinceañera,” Latino USA producer Antonia Cereijido shadowed one Mexican-American family’s quinceañera journey—from dress shopping to the final glamorous festivities and all the emotions that arise over the course of a year. While the episode was in the process of being polished for its final version, we reached out to our listeners and asked them to share personal memories and photos from their own quinces.

The response, as you will see, was overwhelming.

Below, you’ll find quinceañera pictures that range from four decades ago to 2016, and quinces that were celebrated from Canada to Peru. Many of the images also came with stories of sacrifice and reflections from the big day. As our latest episode and our listeners show, the celebration of this rite of passage is a combination of evolving cultural traditions and a physical act of love on behalf of the parents and the community. And for many, it’s “just a really fun party.”

Here are the photos we received:

Melissa Kinney, 2002, Chimbote, Peru

Vianney Alarcon, 1999, Chicago

Raquel Ana Marisol Román, 2007, Kansas City

Cindy Mosqueda Campbell, 1995, Hacienda Heights, California

Elizabeth Gonzalez, 2004, Cañada de San Juan, Mexico

Maria Treminio-Ramirez, 2007, Silver Spring, Maryland

Diana Sanchez and Her Twin Sister, 2002, San Juan, Texas

Karina Aguilera Quezada, 1994, Hacienda Heights, California

Paula Gonzalez, 1993, Jerez, Mexico

Adanna Sanchez-Escobar, 2007, Walla Walla, Washington

Betsabe Torres and Yael Martinez, 2000

Danielle Garza, 2003, Portland, Oregon

Dasha Lee Rivera, 2004, Tampa

Olga Rodriguez Segura, 1994, Dallas

Alejandra Valera, 1987, Chicago

Natalie Arias, 2004, Uvalde, Texas

Ileana López-Martínez, 2014, Chicago

Caro Rivera, 1992, Sacramento

Celina Maricela, 2010, Mercedes, Texas

Carla Carletti, 1997, Toronto

Brenda Vicencio’s Daughter, 2016, San Diego

Crystal Chavez, 1999, Corpus Christi

Celia Ruiz Calderón, 1994, Kansas City

Carina Quiroz, 2011, Urbana, Illinois

Mayra Morales, 2011, San Diego

Melissa Rodriguez, 2009, Boston

Berenice Aguirre, 2006, Denver

Jennifer Ramón-Dover, 1989, Los Angeles

Andrea Cabrera, 2007, Austin

Sofi Inca, 2006, Ríobamba, Ecuador

Nancy Fraire-Owens, 1999, Oklahoma City

Sonya Rodriguez Sauceda, 1992, Houston

Cheli Saldivar’s Twins, 2016 Laredo, Texas

Eliza Rico, 2016, Mesa, Arizona

Perla Rodríguez, 1985, Ontario, Oregon

Perla Rodríguez’s Daughter, 2014, Forest Grove, Oregon

Marcy Miranda, 2001, Denver

Jessy Colossus, 2016, Odessa, Texas

Miriam Macias-Castellanos, 1988, Guadalajara

Joceline De la Torre, 2010, Orange County, California

Joanna Flores, 2002, Romita, Mexico

Aly Portillo Wallace, 2002, Santa Clara, California

Judy Gaitan, 1997, Alexandria, Virginia

Yolanda Ramirez’s Daughter, 2013, Lincoln, Nebraska

Sophia Olazaba, 2004, East Chicago, Indiana

Julia Martinez, 2007, Piedras Negras, Mexico

Amy Perez, 2015, Lincoln, Nebraska

Chloe Castillo, 2016, Alabama

Rita and Ricardo Ayala’s Daughter, 2016, New Orleans

Jasmin Iliana Avalos, 2011, Van Nuys, California

Garcia Landin Marivel, 2016, Pacoima, California

Miranda Merino, 2013, Victorville, California

Elizabeth Hernandez, 2015, Chicago

Yasmeen Diaz, 2016, Calgary

Diane Ramirez, 2005, Atlanta

La Nancy, 1999, Los Angeles

Jenifer Santos, 2005, Nacogdoches, Texas

Cynthia Gonzalez, 1999, Los Angeles

Eric Cesar Morales’ Mother, 1973, Chicago

Salina Estrada, 2000, Austin

Andrea Marshall Pitones’ Daughter Gavy, 2013, Columbus, Ohio

Andrea Marshall Pitones’ Daughter Abby, 2015, Columbus, Ohio

Mariana Padilla Perez, 2016, Lincoln, Nebraska

America Fontenot, 2016, Kansas City

Theresa Sifuentez Pereira, 2004, San Jose, California

Lorena, 2016, San Diego

Nathalie Fleitas, 2005, Miami

Alina Cervantes Deverewhite, 1990, Sacramento

Brenda Escalante Ozuna, 2015, Walla Walla, Washington

Love Brambila, 2015, California

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