Chicago Tribune Pilsen: Where Change is underfoot. March 6, 2009

Redevelopment brings renewed life to old ethnic neighborhood
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By Leslie Mann Special to the Tribune

March 6, 2009

Granted, she is the alderman's daughter, but Maya Solis also symbolizes the new Pilsen resident —young, of Mexican descent and college-educated. Instead of dashing to the 'burbs after college, these new residents are not only living in their parents' and grandparents' neighborhood; they are involved in Pilsen's community improvement organizations.

"My friends and I call ourselves 'muppies' — Mexican yuppies. We came back here to raise our families," says Solis, special assistant to Ald. Danny Solis (25th).

The muppies mark another chapter in Pilsen's rich history, explains the alderman. First came the Eastern Europeans in the 1800s. Later came the post- World War II influx of Mexican immigrants, including Ald. Solis' parents. "They came here to make enough money to retire to Mexico," he explains. But their children, the Baby Boomers, stayed and created a little Mexico here.

While other community leaders use the term "Hispanic," Ald. Solis says "Mexican-American" because that's what Pilsen is. "We've put our flag in the ground," he says. One step into the neighborhood proves it: Murals of Mexican heritage. The National Museum of Mexican Art. The eagle statue from a former Mexico City mayor. Tile mosaics in the sidewalks.