There is no shortage of Mexican and Tex-Mex spots to feed your taco whims.
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A relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations.
Today is not Mexico’s independence day (which is September 16) so you should refrain from treating it as such.
Many Utahns also observe Cinco de Mayo, as evidenced by the abundance of celebrations slated to take place around the state. But it was one of the greatest victories over outside powers that sought to dominate Mexico.
Unfortunately, without the proper understanding of the holiday’s true meaning, many American celebrations result in a parade of stereotypes complete with sombreros and maracas.
Trump, who has vowed to deport all of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border, begins his general election fight with rock-bottom approval ratings among Hispanics. There’s another California connection: According to the California Avocado Commission, Americans will eat 81 million avocados – many of them in guacamole – as they drink margaritas and Mexican beer. But most people will be too busy drinking margaritas to delve deeper.
Communities adopt holidays to meet their social and sometimes their political needs, and I think that is what happened with Cinco de Mayo. Not only does my very traditional, Mexican family hardly ever go out of its way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but we actually rarely ever mention it, even on the day.
Of course we never make it through the day without realizing that it is Cinco de Mayo, because it has been shoved down our throats through the alcohol advertisements on television and in stores, but we never arrange specific plans to celebrate the holiday.
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On Saturday, Telemundo Utah will host their own Cinco de Mayo festival in Centennial Park at 5415 W. 3100 South in West Valley which will feature food, music and prizes.
