Bad Bunny's Super Bowl performance became a moment charged with symbolism and collective emotion. While millions of viewers watched the performance, the Latino community took center stage on the global stage, a stark contrast to the reality of discrimination and hatred faced by immigrants on American streets today. However, on Sunday, February 8, for 13 minutes, all eyes were on the Latinos, many of them from Los Angeles, who showcased the diversity and resilience of their community in a show performed almost entirely in Spanish. “How wonderful it is to be Latino!” were the words with which the performance began. The artist then appeared, saying, “Titi asked me if I have a girlfriend,” as he moved through fields of sugarcane, alluding to Puerto Rico’s colonial past. It was at that moment that the first shouts of pride were heard in the neighborhoods of Los Angeles, even louder than the roar of the stadium after a touchdown between the Seattle and Patriots teams. Bad Bunny became the first Spanish-speaking Latino artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show, a historic moment that became a celebration of Latino culture. His performance, with visual and musical references to Puerto Rico and Latin America, was received as a cultural affirmation and a message of unity for millions of viewers around the world. During the show, Bad Bunny incorporated cultural references that resonated with diverse Latino communities, including the appearance of Villa's Tacos, a taqueria originally from Los Angeles, a sign of the prominence of the city's Latino culture within one of the most-watched events in the world. In addition to the taqueria, many of his dancers and stage participants, such as street vendors, musicians, Taco vendors and designers were from this city.

The most renowned was Victor Villa, owner of Villas Tacos in Highland Park,who appeared during the first song as Bad Bunny strolled past various street food stalls before stopping at his own.

The moment was captured by many Angelenos, who exclaimed as they tried to confirm what they had seen: “Oh my God, was that Villas?!”

It was his blue lettering and logo, along with Villa’s signature energy and smile, that many instantly recognized. That moment proved to be very special for Villa, who, before becoming a three-time Taco Madness champion, starring in a Netflix series, and appearing at the Super Bowl, was simply a street vendor with a dream.

“What a great honor to have been a part of such a special moment,” he commented that night on his Instagram, after such an exciting experience. “We sold our first taco in my grandmother’s backyard in Highland Park over 8 years ago, and I feel like every taco I sold along the way brought me here.” Villa, the son of immigrant parents from Jiquilpan, Michoacan, expressed that this moment wasn’t just for him, but also for his family. “I wouldn’t have been able to sell that first taco if my parents hadn’t made the difficult decision to leave their homeland in search of a better life and immigrate to the United States. This is for all the immigrants who paved the way before us so that this moment could be possible,” he said. Another Los Angeles family that celebrated a loved one’s participation in the Super Bowl on social media was that of the coconut vendor, whom Bad Bunny greeted as he passed by her stand. The name of this aunt, who has become everyone's "Titi," has not yet been revealed. Her niece, Fabiola, a content creator in Los Angeles, captured the moment her family reacted to seeing her aunt on screen. When Bad Bunny turned the corner, her family's excitement intensified as they saw her aunt's dark brown hair peeking out from behind the coconut stand. "She was the first to emigrate from El Salvador and then married a Puerto Rican. She brought my great-grandmother over, which allowed my grandfather and mother to emigrate to Los Angeles during the Civil War," Fabiola said in an Instagram video. "It only took one person to make a sacrifice, and now we're living the American dream, making history with Bad Bunny." Also representing the city of Los Angeles was the couple who got married on stage just before Lady Gaga's performance. Covina's couple consists of Elly Aparicio and Tommy, who, according to several sources, had originally invited Bad Bunny to their wedding, but the artist decided to invite them to the concert instead. Another curious detail of the now iconic show was La Casita, a small-scale, salmon and yellow replica.of a traditional Puerto Rican house, used as the central element of the stage for Bad Bunny's 2025 Puerto Rico residency. The interior of the little house shown at the Super Bowl was designed by Federico Laboureau, owner of Fuegos LA restaurant in Exposition Park, famous for having some of the best empanadas in Los Angeles. "This is what I do when I'm not making empanadas," he joked when posting a video of La Casita. The owner and production designer said he came to Los Angeles from Argentina several years ago to work in what he described as the mecca of the film industry. However, faced with dwindling job opportunities in film, he decided to open a restaurant, now called Fuegos LA, to share his culture through food and earn extra income. But last December, he received a call about a major set design project, the details of which were kept secret. He then attended the first meeting, where he was informed that he would be designing the interior of La Casita for Bad Bunny's performance. His job was to transform the living room into the home of a Latina grandmother. “For Latinos, home is where everything happens with family and friends,” he said over the phone. “I was raised by one of my grandmothers, so I drew a lot of inspiration from those memories and from other living rooms similar to hers.” When Bad Bunny bursts through the roof into the living room of La Casita, Laboureau's work is evident. The wooden furniture, the dishes displayed in a glass case, the religious figures, like a painting of the Last Supper hanging on the wall next to family photos, and, of course, the plastic tablecloth that many remember from their own homes. Other small but significant details included the food on the table, which any grandmother always has in her house, and the floral curtains and decorated floor; every detail resonated with the viewers. “This Super Bowl was so much more than a game; with everything that’s happening in this country, it was a message that said, ‘We’re here and we’re not going anywhere,’” said the set designer. “We have passion, we have love; every detail of the show was a representation of us. It was epic. I still get goosebumps.” Tosstones Aponte, whose birth name is Jhan Lee Aponte, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and now a resident of Los Angeles, was also part of the cast that performed alongside Bad Bunny. The percussionist thanked God for the opportunity to perform alongside the legendary artist. Among the musicians who participated in the show were also members of Mariachi Divas, most of whom played violin on Bad Bunny’s song “Monaco.”which begins with this stringed instrument. Several of the women who participated, such as Julissa Dominguez, are from Los Angeles and shared on social media what that moment meant to them. Also participating were Peruvian dancer Kandrex Millones, Guatemalan dancer and model RataGoHard, and Mexican dancer Daisy, all talented artists from Los Angeles. “Thank you, Bad Bunny; your music, your dance, your culture, and your identity tonight were a message that our presence is resistance,” Millones said in her Instagram post. “This moment united Latinos with pride; our diversity, our history, our courage, and our resilience are celebrated today and always.” William Surian, a Nicaraguan model and stylist based in Los Angeles, also shared his participation in the event on social media. He was one of the many who marched with a flag representing the Americas. During Bad Bunny's performance of "Debi Tirar Mas Fotos," he proudly waved the blue and white Nicaraguan flag. Like many in the audience, tears streamed down his face as the crowd chanted and marched alongside Bad Bunny, who concluded by saying, "We're still here." "Thank you, Bad Bunny, for showing your heart, your music, and your people at a time marked by raids, the 'ICE out' movement, and national debates about who belongs in this country and why," Surian wrote. "What you conveyed—your voice, your joy, and your courage—reminded us that art still touches hearts and is bigger than fear."“We’re still here.”

“Thank you, Bad Bunny, for showing your heart, your music, and your people at a time marked by raids, the 'ICE out' movement, and national debates about who belongs in this country and why,” Surian wrote. “What you conveyed—your voice, your joy, and your courage—reminded us that art still touches hearts and is bigger than fear.”