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‘Bienvenidos a la Calle 9 Welcome Benvenuti’: A new banner greets Philadelphians to the Mexican community around Ninth Street

The colorful banner danced on the wind to the rhythm of mariachi music, officially greeting Philadelphians in Spanish (Welcome to Ninth Street) to the Mexican side of the market.

Angel Ballesteros, commercial corridor manager for Association for Mexican Business Owners, stabs holes into a new sign for wind to pass through it before hanging the banner at Ninth Street in South Philadelphia on a blustery Saturday.
Angel Ballesteros, commercial corridor manager for Association for Mexican Business Owners, stabs holes into a new sign for wind to pass through it before hanging the banner at Ninth Street in South Philadelphia on a blustery Saturday.Read moreTyger Williams / Staff Photographer

For as long as 11-year-old Xavi Ortiz can remember, he wondered why there were no signs to mark the presence of the Mexican community south of the Italian Market area.

That changed on Saturday with the hanging of a banner across the 1100 block of South Ninth Street: “Bienvenidos a la Calle 9.”

Rising above spectators, the colorful banner danced on the wind to the rhythm of mariachi music, officially greeting Philadelphians in Spanish (Welcome to Ninth Street) to the Mexican side of the market corridor, considered Washington Avenue south to Federal Street.

“It makes me feel at home,” proclaimed Xavi when the banner went up over Ninth at about Ernst Street, just outside Amigos Bakery.

The sentiment was echoed by Juan Carlos Romero, president of the Mexican Business Association.

“It’s a way to say ‘We are here,’” said Romero. “We bring value to Philly and this corridor is the destination to be for Mexican culture and food.”

Since the mid-2000s, conversation about the Italian Market area becoming more diversified has been the focus of articles and Reddit threads, from whether or not the area’s name should be changed to controversial “Speak English” signs.

According to the association, the banner is not meant to take away from the Italian Market, but rather to add to Philadelphia’s diversity. In fact, the sign is multilingual, greeting visitors with “Welcome” and “Benvenuti,” in addition to Spanish.

“We didn’t want anyone not to feel included,” said Eva Hernández, vice president of the Mexican Business Association. They purposely came up with a design that encompassed Spanish, English, and Italian to reflect all cultures coexisting harmoniously.

For Councilmember Mark Squilla, whose district includes this stretch of Ninth Street, maintaining a diverse business presence there is a chance to keep the corridor alive, as generational businesses “start to fall off.”

“It’s important to have all the heritage here,” said Squilla. “There are Mexican food, Italian food, and Asian markets here, everybody is welcome.”