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:
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