Lunch in Detroit's Mexicantown

Our son, Steve, has been trying to get a date on his calendar for us to go to lunch together, and today was the day.  I've been wanting to go to Detroit's Mexicantown, so that's where we went.

The Mexican neighborhood's identity was solidified in the 1970's and 80's and was officially named Mexicantown then, but it's been home to Hispanics longer than that.  There's a plethora of Mexican restaurants in the area to choose from, but today we went to Mexican Village.  They opened at 11:00 a.m. and we got there around 11:30 when only a few other customers were there, but by the time we left the restaurant was full.  

The graphic below is from the restaurant's website.

There were so many good things on the menu to choose from.  We started with an appetizer of cheese Quesadillas with Guacamole and Con Questo Dip. That was almost enough to fill us up, but we each got the lunch portion of Enchiladas - two [beef or chicken] served with rice and refried beans.  Yummy!

The restaurant [as the above graphic indicates] is located at 18th Street and Bagley, and that's the neighborhood where my mother grew up long before it became Mexicantown. The family home she lived in at 740 18th Street no longer exists.  The address numbers have been changed and an apartment building now sits in its place.

We drove to nearby St. Anne's Catholic Church, the second oldest continuously operating parish in America, where my mother and her Irish family attended.  It's the church where she and my Dad were married 86 years ago, and where her parent's funerals took place.

Several years ago while my parents were still living and in reasonably good health, we took them inside the church that held so many memories for them. One of my mom's brothers was an altar boy there.

 

The photo below is my mom [white hat and coat], her sister, and brother [in his altar boy garments] in front of their 18th Street home.

Right next door to the church is the Catholic school my mom attended through 8th grade, and it looks like it's still in use today.

There are beautiful murals painted on walls of buildings in Mexicantown and the one pictured below was across the street from the restaurant where we ate.  I would love to go back when we have time to drive around and see all of them and visit their food markets and gift shops.  I read where they have a Cinco de Mayo celebration and parade on W. Vernor Street every year. That would be interesting to see.

Thank you, Steve, for a very enjoyable day.