Hispanic heritage runs deep at area restaurants

Oct. 13—When he boarded the bus in El Salvador, Mirciades Diaz was 15.

About a month later, his long, arduous journey — by bus and on foot — ended in the United States.

Border patrol agents detained Diaz three times before he eventually succeeded. Along the way, finding food proved challenging.

"I knew it was going to be hard and difficult, but I was not going to give up," Diaz said.

The 49-year-old has managed La Tonalteca — the Mexican restaurant on Viewmont Drive in Scranton — for the past 16 years. On Wednesday while visiting El Salvador, Diaz reflected on his quest to pursue a better life.

Hispanic Heritage Month — Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 — celebrates the contributions of Americans tracing their roots to Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Spanish-speaking nations of the Caribbean, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

"Many people who would otherwise not leave their homeland, culture and families felt they had no choice but to leave their land or they may not survive," Diaz said. "That was my exact circumstance and why I immigrated in my teenage years all by myself."

Jailene Yanez operates El Rey Azteca Mexican Restaurant on Kidder Street in Wilkes-Barre Twp. with her parents, Margarita Cazares and Gaston Romero, who moved to the United States from Morelos, Mexico, about 30 years ago.

"They wanted a change," Yanez said. "They wanted to get a better job and there were more opportunities here."

For Diaz, a civil war and economic instability made El Salvador unstable. Diaz's father drove him to a bus station to depart for the Guatemalan border. From there, he found a bus connection to the Mexican border, but his next steps were unclear.

"I got into Mexico, and I didn't know where I was going," Diaz said. "I asked which bus would take me to this place, and then which bus would take me to another town or city until I got to the United States border."

Diaz weathered several challenges during the trip, including a stint in Puebla.

"I had occasions where I couldn't find food or anything to drink," he said. "For about a week, I was in a house where I barely ate."

During the detainments at the U.S. border, Diaz avoided being deported back home.

"I told them I was from Mexico, so they left me at the border of Mexico and the United States," he said. "Otherwise, they would have sent me all the way to El Salvador."

Diaz eventually settled in Williamsburg, Virginia, working in a Chinese restaurant.

"I knew I could do some labor and earn some money," he said. "We had to do what we had to do."

Despite finding employment, Diaz struggled to acclimate to American culture.

"It was a very difficult situation for me," he said. "Williamsburg has the College of William & Mary and I used to take English classes."

He moved to Delaware in 1998 where he worked in a Mexican restaurant in Wilmington before relocating to Pennsylvania in 2007 and opening La Tonalteca.

Diaz credits the tutelage of an older woman in Wilmington for cementing his decision to remain in the United States, where he earned his GED and became a U.S. citizen more than a decade ago.

"I was about to go back to El Salvador until I met Ruth Holden," he said. "She taught me English and that made me stay for a little longer, and then I met my wife and I stayed for good."

Diaz and his wife of nearly 20 years, Denae, a special education teacher, have three children: Samuel, 18; Andrew, 15, and Eva, 12. They reside in Kennett Square. Diaz works at the restaurant in five-day stints, then travels home to be with his family.

He's grateful to the residents of Northeast Pennsylvania for accepting him.

"I'm so thankful the people in Scranton have been so very supportive," Diaz said. "They've always been friendly and loyal. We've been through a lot during the 16 years — we even went through a pandemic — and they've been very, very good to us."

Diaz, whose heritage derives from a Mayan tribe, stressed Spaniards brought their religions, grains and fruits to El Salvador, and helped inhabitants cultivate the land.

"I'm proud of my Hispanic heritage and a proud American," he said.

Yanez, who is 26 and lives in Wilkes-Barre, appreciates her family's deep cultural heritage.

She carries on the tradition of cooking authentic Mexican meals, including mole — made using chocolate bars from Mexico, peanuts, almonds, toasted sesame seeds and plantains — and tamales.

"I learned how to make the most famous dishes passed down through generations," she said.

Contact the writer: rtomkavage@scrantontimes.com; 570-348-9131; @rtomkavage on Twitter.