Cinco de Mayo blends culture, history and celebration

Parade to be held in downtown Abilene May 5 at 6 p.m.

By Jack Walker/West Texas Tribune

As the April showers bring May flowers, countless Hispanic Americans celebrated the fifth day of the first week of the fifth month of the year.

Cinco de Mayo is a fiesta that honors the unlikely triumph of the Mexican army over the much larger and seemingly more powerful French forces at the battle of Puebla.

The victory symbolizes the resistance and unity of the underdog versus the favorite, a historic Cinderella story in Spanish with flavor to boot.

While the holiday is not considered a major event in Mexico, it is prioritized for big-time partying among Mexican-Americans in the United States, particularly Texas and California.

“After the party is over, there’s another after-party and then another after-party, and it just keeps going you would think that the night is just getting started,” said Selena Dominguez, a new Texas resident who recently moved from California.

When referring to the hoopla surrounding the holiday back home in California, Dominguez reminisces passionately about the action the locals participate in for Cinco De Mayo.

“The clubs are going crazy they have all kinds of stuff going on,” Dominguez said. “Down here I think I heard about a parade or something but that was it.”

Aida Pantoja has organized a parade for 6 p.m. on May 5. After the parade, there will be time for socializing and enjoying delicious food from one of the food vendors in the area.

Impartial or not to her native land, sentiments and partying are only luster that shines from the surface given the consideration to the date as a historical moment.

These are the facts:

• On May 5, 1862, 2,000 Mexican troops defeated 6,000 French troops in an epic showdown known as “The Battle of Puebla.”
• Large scale celebrations exist today in bigger cities like Los Angeles to honor the “David versus Goliath” commemoration.
• Cinco De Mayo or El Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day (that’s September 16)
• The traditions foster a cultural connection with the cuisine and social commons parallel with the land and heritage. Drinking tequila and dining on authentic Mexican food highlight the social customs.

At Pappasitos Cantina in Houston and Fort Worth, live mariachis perform as tables are placed in the restaurant parking lot to accommodate more guests while the average wait time for seating can grow beyond the hour.

“With Mother’s Day, it is the busiest time of the year for us,” said Nick Carter, a manager who works at the Pappasito’s central location in Fort Worth’s cultural district.

The restaurant experiences a significant amount of traffic to and from the Tex-Mex venue each year from visitors looking to sip margaritas on the patio and caterers making trips to provide their premium fajitas.

The holiday has evolved over time to include more emphasis on the community enjoying the spectacle than the historic aspect of why Cinco De Mayo is most noteworthy.

During the battle of Puebla, the Mexican Army, led by Ignacio Zaragoza, defeated an elite squad of French soldiers. Historians and scholars suggest that had the Frenchman won the battle instead, that they may have supported the Confederacy — thus impacting the Civil War.

If the French became allies to the Southerners during the Civil War fought in America over racial divisions tremendous damage or entirely different outcomes may have been suffered, and the American history books would have several more paragraphs.

The resistance on display by the Hispanic military demonstrated a resistance that bolstered the morale and pride of the community.

The American support for their neighbors down south on the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla continues to grow on a larger scale as the years pass.

The cultural, historical, and social flavors that yield to the Spring-Summer celebration compliment a variety of festivals throughout North America.