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Comic: The magic of SoCal swap meets

A lady with a mega phone shouts "2 por 30!"
(Enacio Diaz / For De Los)
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Swap meets play a big role in the Latino community. It’s where many of us and our parents would congregate on the weekends. No matter what area code you are from, we all have some sort of nostalgia of going to the swap meet with our family.

In sunny Southern California there is a magical swap meet called Santo Tomas.
Every Saturday my family would go to check out the vendors, dirt floors and the hot outdoors.
The first thing my apa would do is stop by Jose's Equipment store. He wouldn't even buy anything.
(Enacio Diaz / For De Los)
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My ama would disappear and go shopping for herself
Afterwards, she would take me to buy some shoes. I would ask my ama why they're called Compass and not Converse
(Enacio Diaz / For De Los)
I would always have to check out Don Hector's because you could buy movies that were playing in movie theaters
Verano was ending. So ama wanted to restock her Mexican blankets
And after a long day at the swap meet it was time to eat...
We would always get some chili hot dogs and cold Gatorade.
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Santo Tomas is truly a magical swap meet.

Enacio Diaz is a comic and storyboard artist from a small border town in Southern California called Calexico. He graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a bachelor’s in Studio Arts. He currently lives in Boyle Heights. His work primarily focuses on portraying his Latino identity through the lens of humor and art.

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