I love London with its palaces, buses, monuments, the Tower of London, Parliament building, the River Thames and the Needle among others. What I have found lacking in my experience is tasty food.
It is ironic that we spent so much time admiring the great city and yet ate Italian food because it is closer to what we are used to. During our visits I sometimes wondered “where is a Mexican restaurant when you need it.” That is no problem in our country. The Mexican restaurant industry is doing very well serving all kinds of people and striving for authenticity in Mexican, New Mexican, Tex-Mex dishes and extending its taste reach into other Latin American cooking.
Of the many Mexican artifacts adopted by the United States, the Cinco de Mayo festival is among the latest. What started out as a commemoration of a battle that offered deep meaning to the Chicano Movement in term of a lesson on resistance to the oppressor, has become a Spring holiday somewhat like the Irish originated celebration that is Saint Patrick’sDay.
Cinco de Mayo is actually a date, May 5, 1862, that honors a victory by a small Mexican force under the command of General Ignacio Zaragoza over the invading French bent on acquiring Mexico to feed their imperial appetite. The victory lifted the morale of the Mexican people and their President Benito Juarez who was facing the beginning of a 6-year war to defend the country from European invaders.
The struggle to get rid of the French and Emperor Maximilian paralleled the American Civil War (1861-1865) and extended that period by 2 year (1861-1867). After many battles that saw Juarez retreat all the way to El Paso del Norte on the border with El Paso, Texas and now named Ciudad Juarez, the President led a comeback that recovered much of the territory and caused the French withdrawal and Maximilian’s execution.
Interest in the years of turmoil in Mexico and the United States is also part of the heritage left by the Chicano Movement. This is because both Presidents Lincoln and Juarez exhibited a sense of justice and a desire to bring unity to their countries under an umbrella of democracy and human rights.
But it was the Cinco de Mayo battle on the plain outside of Puebla that captured the imagination of those that were inspired by the heroic stand. The inspiration created Cinco de Mayo in the United States.
Over the years since its founding in 1972, the Cinco de Mayo festival has moved from the barrio to downtown in several cities. In Denver, Cinco de Mayo moved from the Santa Fe Cultural District to the Denver Civic Center and there is where it is going to be held the coming weekend.
We can add to the Americanization of Cinco de Mayo the fact that Ignacio Zaragoza was born in Goliad, Texas near Corpus Christi. Also, his mother was closely related to Juan Seguin, the Latino hero of Texas independence.
America is a politically divided nation reflective of a condition that is very much like the regional oppression that caused the Civil War. Lincoln like Juarez proved to be the instrument of justice and unity in the middle of chaos.
Cinco de Mayo represents in part a defense against oppression from abroad. The danger of oppression from within in America is a more serious threat because it puts our democracy in a difficult place.
Enjoy the festival as part of our heritage. And be safe.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of La Voz Bilingüe. Comments and responses may be directed to News@lavozcolorado.com.
