Young girls in traditional Mexican dresses pose indoors, surrounded by women and children. Their colorful skirts swirl around them.
Community

El Centro de la Raza Brings Music, Food, and Culture to Beacon Hill for Cinco de Mayo

by Agueda Pacheco Flores

Wind, clouds, and rain didn’t stop the Latino community from gathering at Plaza Roberto Maestas this past weekend in Beacon Hill to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. And even though the event isn’t a formal holiday throughout the republic of Mexico, it’s still a culturally significant date.

Sixteen-year-old Ada Maris, who was helping her mother sell artisanal jewelry and milagros from Mexico, said although it’s not a big holiday in her family, she loves having the opportunity of sharing the diversity of art and culture from her native Mexico.

Luna Garcia, the director of Joyas Mestizas, a folkloric children’s dance troupe that was one of many performances at the event this weekend, said she loves the Cinco de Mayo event.

“Any reason to bring us together is beautiful,” she said. “To be in community, have art, and food, it’s always a good time.”

So what is Cinco de Mayo? Well, it’s never too late to learn that Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day — that’s Sept. 16. Cinco de Mayo, which translates to May 5 in English, was actually a battle that took place in the Mexican state of Puebla in 1862. It was preceded by a series of events including a moratorium on paying back loans to France, England, and Spain placed by Mexican President Benito Juárez.

This eventually led to a French invasion of Puebla, but the holiday and history celebrates the victor. The battle lasted one day, and the outnumbered Mexican forces held the city.

The victory is especially commemorated every year in the state of Puebla, and the legendary battle cry of Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza is likely known by any good Mexican patriot. Ahead of the battle, Zaragoza looked to his men and told them, “Our enemies are the world’s top soldiers; but you are all the prime sons of Mexico.”

Outdoor market stall with colorful clothing and decorations, a mirror reflecting the scene. Two women browse, one carrying a shopping bag. Papel picado banners hang overhead.
Vendors, performers, and attendees welcomed the rain and didn’t let it stop their festivities during El Centro de la Raza’s Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 4, 2024. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco Flores)
A display of Mexican folk charms featuring colorful decorative items. There are hand-painted tin hearts, lizards, and religious-themed art, including an image of Frida Kahlo and a card labeled "El Apache."
Artisanal milagros with Mexican iconography and Corazones Sagrados were among the many things being sold by vendors at El Centro de La Raza’s Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 4, 2024. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco Flores)
A woman in a light pink coat smiles inside a vibrant market stall displaying traditional Mexican handicrafts. The stall is filled with colorful embroidered dresses, scarves, bags, jewelry, and decor.
Marilu Hernandez welcomes patrons into her booth during El Centro de la Raza’s Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 4, 2024. Hernandez works with artisans in Oaxaca to sell their work in the United States at a fair price for both artisans and herself. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco Flores)
Young girls in traditional Mexican dresses pose indoors, surrounded by women and children. Their colorful skirts swirl around them.
Folklore Tonantzin dancers Isabela and Fernanda pose in their traditional dresses during El Centro de la Raza’s Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 4, 2024. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco Flores)
Two women work at a jewelry stand selling bright, handcrafted earrings, necklaces, and other accessories.
Griselda Rojas, who sells a variety of jewelry at various markets including Burien’s Farmer’s Market, displays her creations at El Centro de la Raza’s Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 4, 2024. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco Flores)
A woman with short red hair smiles behind a display stand filled with colorful stickers and art prints, including one labeled "Viva la Vida." A customer in a beige jacket browses the artwork, while festive paper flowers add a cheerful touch to the market scene.
Local artist Valeria Ortiz, whose most recent work includes the mural at the White Center Food Bank, promoted and sold her artwork at the Cinco de Mayo event on May 4, 2024. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco Flores)
A smiling woman in a blue jacket and purple beanie serves traditional Mexican drinks from large jugs at a market stall. The drinks include aguas frescas and horchata, and posters for "Cinco de Mayo" and "Champurrado" decorate the vibrant scene.
Antojitos Lita Rosita were among many of the food vendors at the Cinco de Mayo event on May 4, 2024, offering champurrado, tamales, and aquas frescas. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco Flores)
Under a canopy at an outdoor market, a woman in a denim apron reaches into a large pot of tamales. Nearby, a crowd of people enjoys the festivities, some smiling and others browsing the surrounding stalls.
No Mexican event is without tamales. The hot, Mexican staple made their appearance at the Cinco de Mayo event on May 4, 2024, at various vending tents. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco Flores)
A man in a denim apron serves a young woman at a market stall under a canopy. The counter is filled with Mexican snacks like jicama sticks with tiny Mexican flags and cups of cucumber. Two other people wait in line as colorful papel picado decorations and a lively crowd create a festive backdrop.
La Panaderia Seattle offered jicama and cucumber cups as well as steaming hot tamales to festival-goers during El Centro de la Raza’s Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 4, 2024. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco Flores)
A man and a young woman perform on stage, singing into microphones. The man wears a traditional mariachi suit in navy blue with silver accents, while the woman is dressed in a white off-shoulder dress with a red shawl and green skirt, representing the Mexican flag. A crowd watches, captivated by their performance.
Father-daughter duet Vocezz, Ramiro Cruz and Valeria Cruz, performed traditional Mexican music together during El Centro de la Raza’s Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 4, 2024. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco Flores)
A group of dancers performs on stage in traditional attire. Four women in colorful floral dresses stand with their hands on their hips, while a man in a sombrero and poncho waves a white handkerchief as he dances with a woman in a black ruffled dress. The audience watches and photographs the lively folkloric dance.
Chilean folk dancers perform a traditional courting dance known as La Cueca at El Centro de la Raza’s Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 4, 2024. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco Flores)
A vendor arranges jewelry at a market stall filled with rings, necklaces, and bracelets. Various pieces are displayed on black velvet busts and in neatly organized trays. The woman wears a black jacket and colorful embroidered shirt, focusing on her phone as she prepares for customers in the bustling market.
Yadira Franco brings artisanal pieces, artwork, crafts, and jewelry from all over Mexico including Taxco, Chiapas, and Jalisco. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco Flores)

Agueda Pacheco Flores is a journalist focusing on Latinx culture and Mexican American identity. Originally from Querétaro, Mexico, Pacheco is inspired by her own bicultural upbringing as an undocumented immigrant and proud Washingtonian.

📸 Featured Image: Folklore Tonantzin dancers Isabela and Fernanda pose in their traditional dresses. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco Flores)

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