Aracely Zagal learned the art of piñata making growing up in Mexico. In 1999, after ten years of living in Minnesota, she seized an opportunity to turn her art into a business when she learned about plans to open a Latino-themed public market in South Minneapolis. Inspired by the absence of culturally familiar goods and services, a group of Latino immigrants worked together to create a vision for the Mercado Central. NDC, in partnership with Project for Pride in Living and Whittier CDC, helped the entrepreneurs realize their vision and the Mercado opened in 1999, with Aracely’s Dulcería la Piñata offering endless varieties of Mexican candy and handmade piñatas to wide-eyed customers. Read more.