In June of this year I will have the honor and opportunity to lead a group from a veterans organization to Mexico City, Puebla and Veracruz. When we visit the State of Puebla we are scheduled to take time to visit the forts that used to defend the City of Puebla.
It is those forts that front the city and locate the Valley of Puebla where the heroic battle that we know as Cinco de Mayo took place on May 5, 1862. For most Mexicans, the Battle was just a military episode in history that began the defense of their country that lasted 5 years.
The people that mostly celebrated Cinco de Mayo in Mexico were the residents of Puebla because it was a heroic event that happened on their soil. To them, it became a matter of heritage.
It also became a matter of heritage here because the hero of Cinco de Mayo, General Zaragoza, was born near Corpus Christi, Texas before it was part of the United States. In other words, he was American before America came to Texas.
It is from that source that Mexicans in the United States grew his name and expanded on his most important gift to Mexico. The vehicle used to do this was Zaragoza Halls that sprung up, especially in the American Southwest where the American community of Mexican descent was rooted.
It was an attendance at a Cinco de Mayo ceremony and dinner in the Pueblo, Colorado Zaragoza Hall in the beginning of the 1970s that inspired the notion of a Chicano application. Pueblo Chicanos from what is today Colorado State University at Pueblo and over 100 non-profit community organizations in Southern Colorado rallied to the concept as they found that Cinco de Mayo had a lot in common with the Movement’s commitment to social justice and self-determination.
Once consensus was reached on the idea, the work of building a celebration began. Four months of planning and 110 years after the battle in Puebla, Mexico, the first Chicano commemoration of Cinco de Mayo was born and celebrated by 25,000 people in Zapata Park in Pueblo, Colorado.
One hundred and eight organizations in Southern Colorado had come together to create activities that included a pancake breakfast in downtown Pueblo, a parade and several cultural events that culminated with the large gathering at the park.
The organizers of the first celebration also brought people to the 4-H Pavilion in the Colorado State Fairgrounds for a dance featuring Al Hurricane, the godfather of New Mexico music, that played to an audience of 2,500. It was an unforgettable experience to see Al Hurricane Sanchez and his brothers Tiny Morrie and Baby Gaby perform the Nuevo Mexicano music we all love.
Once Cinco de Mayo became a Chicano event, it developed into a staple of Spring celebrations in cities across in the Southwest and the country. Also, in the first years of the event, businesses took notice and offered Cinco de Mayo sales as part of the week.
In the decades that followed, Cinco de Mayo festivals have become part of the national calendar. Beer and media companies also have converted into major sponsors and advertisers of the events.
Although the Chicano version of Cinco de Mayo has lost much of its political meaning, it nevertheless provided another pillar in Latino community heritage. Also, as it happened in Puebla, Mexico, the Zaragoza Hall community in the United States and the Chicano Movement, Cinco de Mayo is becoming part of our national heritage.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of laVozColorado. Comments and responses may be directed to news@lavozcolorado.com.
