By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
“Cinco De Mayo is a celebration of the human spirit,” Dr. Manuel Urbina II explained as he addressed the attendees at the 50th Annual Cinco De Mayo celebration held at College of the Mainland (COM) Thursday.
Cinco De Mayo is a day that commemorates a historic battle in Puebla Mexico when the Mexican army defeated Napoleon’s army.
The event program for COM’s celebration included a page titled “The Historical Significance of Cinco de Mayo. The page was written by Urbina, who holds a law degree as well as a doctorate and whom the program describes as a historian, a legal scholar, and a former COM professor.
Urbina’s summary of the significance of Cinco de Mayo included the following explanation: “The significance of the Mexican victory over the French troops of Napoleon III in the Battle of Cinco de Mayo fought at the Loreto Fort in Puebla, Mexico on May 5, 1862, remains, to this day a symbol of Mexico’s struggle against foreign interventions as well as a reaffirmation of the desire of all peoples to control their own destiny.”
The victory on May 5 inspires people across the U.S. to participate in a bit of the history and culture of Mexico while celebrating humanity’s battles for freedom.
COM’s yearly celebration was brought to life by Urbina while he was on the faculty at the college. The year was 1974, and together with a team of people from the college and the community, Urbina organized the first celebration.
“When we began this, it was to bring awareness of the Mexican culture and to bring the community to the college,” Urbina explained.
Fifty years down the road, the college continues to honor the celebration with the tastes, sounds, sights and feeling of a Mexican fiesta, and members of the community outside of the college continue to partake in the event.
Some came out for the food Thursday; others came for the mariachi music and still others came out just to enjoy a festive time with their friends who they haven’t seen in a while.
Urbina, as the keynote speaker, kept his remarks short and focused on the spirit of Cinco De Mayo.
“It was relentless perseverance that was the key to final victory for the Mexican army against the French army, “Urbina said.
He spoke about the significance of Napoleon’s attempt to impose the French culture on the people of Mexico. Napoleon believed that French culture was superior to Mexican culture, Urbina explained. Urbina went on to express to the audience that no one culture is superior to another.
“It is up to us to learn to enjoy the cultures of all races,” Urbina said.
He told the audience about his family heritage, sharing that his father was 100% Coahuiltecan Indian. His father’s ancestors lived in what is now Southern Texas and Northeast Mexico, and his mother was 50% Spanish and 50% French.
All who attended this year’s event were entertained by Mariachi Los Gallitos, a family of musicians who have been playing together under the leadership of their mother, Marilu Gonzalez, for 47 years.
“I have four sons and one daughter, and we all love playing together,” Marilu shared. “The music is part of us.”
A Cinco de Mayo celebration would not be complete without the quick moving feet and brilliant, swirling dresses of traditional ballet folklórico, and young dancers from Oppe Elementary School delighted the audience with their performance.
Rounding out the event was Mariachi Los Gallito’s rendition of “Las Mañanitas.”
Las Mañanitas means “little mornings” in Spanish and is a song often sung as a serenade in Mexico under the window of a woman on her birthday. Usually, it is sung right as the sun is about to rise, and dawn is appearing in the skies.
Las Mañanitas compares the woman’s birth to the birth of all the flowers and contains other poetic references to nature. The song’s reach extends beyond romance. The song is used to honor any woman who is significant in someone’s life, such as a mother or grandmother.
After the program ended, Urbina’s work at COM drew students and faculty to spend time speaking with him about his accomplishments and about their own work and goals as they follow in his footsteps teaching and learning the history, language, and culture of Mexico.
