Aztec dancers, Mexican horse riders and hydraulic lowriders cruised through Olivehurst to the sound of horns and trumpets on Sunday during the second annual Cesar Chavez Celebration parade.

Several hundred people marched from 11th Avenue to 6th Avenue on Olivehurst Avenue, and hundreds more watched from the curbs, as the community celebrated the life and teachings of Cesar Chavez, a Latino American civil rights activist who fought for farm laborers in the mid-20th century.

"He’s my hero, man," said Rene Aguilera, a Chicano activist from Roseville. "He’s my hero."

The parade, which started about noon, carried on for nearly an hour as parents and children cheered Chavez’s name down the street.

It was the first time Aguilera had seen the parade, but he said he made the trip to Olivehurst because Chavez’s teachings played a vital role in his upbringing. "He was just for the people," he said, "and had a very big passion for just helping people out."

Aguilera, who he met Chavez in Yuba County in the ’70s, said his parents put a priority on education because they firmly believed in Chavez’s teaching, which put an emphasis on educating youth.

Celebrating Chavez’s birthday is a way of keeping those teachings alive, Aguilera said.

"I think this (parade) is such an important event for the community of Olivehurst," he said.

Among the men and women marching in the parade was Pedro Hernandez, one of Chavez’s former bodyguards.

Hernandez said he met Chavez after returning from Vietnam in the late 60s.

War and military training had made Hernandez violent, he said. But Chavez, who advocated nonviolence, asked Hernandez to be his body guard anyway. Soon after, Hernandez’s behavior changed for the better, he said.

"When I first saw him, there was a blue aura around him," Hernandez said at the Olivehurst parade. "He made me feel warm and comfortable. And I said, ‘whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it.’"

Hernandez said he still remembers his experiences with Chavez, including one civil rights march that took them from Sacramento to Modesto. On the way, Chavez got a blister and asked Hernandez to help him wrap his foot.

"Here I am, working on this guy’s feet," Hernandez recalled, "and I’m like, ‘man, this could only happen in the bible. There’s a reason for me to be here."

Parade organizer Veronica Ramos said Chavez has had a large impact on Yuba-Sutter, an area that relies heavily on its agriculture. For this reason, she decided to organize the event last year.

"Just to see all the unity in the community is amazing," she said.

Ramos brought in live bands and several Mexican-American and agriculture organizations to this year’s event, she said, which has already grown significantly from a year ago.