TYLER, Texas — *Editor's Note: Video above not related to article.
Food trucks, trunk or treats, vendors, and East Texans dressed in costumes filled Downtown Tyler for the first annual Trunk or Treat Latino Calaveritas Sunday afternoon.
Within two weeks after the Tyler Rose Parade, organizer Paulina Pedroza planned an event that brought two cultures together in the East Texas community.
"Many of our children are first generation Mexican-Americans born in East Texas and it's important that they know their cultural roots but also that they are part of the East Texas community," Pedroza said. "In our Hispanic community, we never had trunk or treat just Día de los Muertos and our children get confused with their American and Mexican culture. So we decided to create an event that helps them distinguish the two cultures."
Trunk or Treat Latino Calaveritas 2022
Children and adults learned about Mexican traditions through a Día de los Muertos alter, Aztec dancers, Mexican music, and Mexican candy.
"In the blood of the Latino children in East Texas is their culture and the love for their traditions. Living in the US, if we don't nurture that culture it will no longer exist," Pedroza said. "We want generation after generation for that culture to continue to exist in East Texas."
In just 12 days, Pedroza was able to get 25 businesses across East Texas to participate in the trunk or treat event. Each business received a certain amount of candy bags and with that, Pedroza estimated that 1,200 people attended the event.
"All the work for this event was worth it, seeing the children and the community come together and enjoy the event," Pedroza said. "With 100 people- vendors, organization, and volunteers we made the magic of it happen together."
Pedroza said Trunk or Treat Latino Calaveritas will be bigger and better in 2023!