 "Photo: Erik Verduzco / The Advocate")
From traditional Aztec dancing to an open microphone for speeches and poems, various forms of entertainment attracted about 70 attendees to the Cinco de Mayo event, hosted by the La Raza studies department and Xicano Student Union in the Recreation Room on May 5.
Though the event intended to promote joy and appreciation for Mexican culture, an undisputed feeling of contempt toward Arizona’s immigration law SB 1070 lingered among students.
The function conveyed many of the students’ thoughts on the Arizona law through its theme: “Celebration, Not Deportation.”
“I think (the event) was pretty phenomenal,” Spanish and ethnic studies major Ligia Barahona said. “It had more people than prior years, and it was very cultural.”
The most popular attraction of the afternoon was the Aztec dancing.
The group Quetzalli, composed of a male drummer and dancers ranging from preadolescent girls to middle-aged women, all donned white costumes colorfully decorated with red, green and blue sequins and performed.
American studies major Joanna Garcia-Cabral said Quetzalli is a part of Saint Mark’s Church, and they perform at religious events all over the community.
Before handing over the nachos, the servers would ask people “What is Cinco de Mayo?” and inform those who did not know, Barahona said.
La Raza studies department Chairman Agustin Palacios said the event ended up being much better than he hoped, and he enjoyed hearing the students voice their opinion about the Arizona law during the open microphone time.
Before bringing up student speakers, Palacios familiarized eventgoers with the history of Cinco de Mayo, the day the Mexican army unexpectedly defeated French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
Barahona presented a persuasive speech against the Arizona law, detailing the number of immigrants in the United States and the type of work they do.
“By building these laws, we build resentment between races,” she said. “I think it’s important all races unite.”
Later in the event, two piñatas were presented for volunteers to break.
The first piñata resembled the Arizona bill with comments about the law written on it by participants from the crowd.
Many chanted “dale, dale, dale,” translated as “hit, hit, hit,” as others swung, and after each rip of the piñata, people would race to grab droppings of Mexican candy.
Contact Alexandra Waite at awaite.advocate@gmail.com
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