Little Village’s Mexican identity sustained it during COVID-19. That community spirit may also be ‘the ticket out’ of the pandemic recession.

Aurora Garcia, right, enjoys a meal with her parents, Maria and Celso Salgado, who drove in from Aurora, on May 12, 2021, at La Catedral Cafe and Restaurant in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. Garcia lives in Little Village and frequently eats at the restaurant. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)