Cinco de Mayo

Last Friday, the members of the club Latinos Unidos celebrated Cinco de Mayo at lunch on the steps of the Rally court.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the day that Mexicans fended off French forces led by Napoleon III in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Despite their superior numbers and equipment, the French retreated.

Cinco de Mayo is a holiday honoring Mexican pride, unity, and culture.

“We’re celebrating the Battle between Puebla and the French when a small army of Puebla won a huge battle against the French," said senior Andrea Martinez. “We're just trying to get as many Hispanics out here as possible and educate people."

Before Friday's event, junior Salma Romero, a member of Latinos Unidos, talked about what the club had done to prepare.

“We're doing this hispanic dance," she said. "It's danced in a lot of parties, so that is fun. We're also going to do piñatas—one for the teachers, one for the students."

On Friday, a lot of music was played, including Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's popular song Despacito, which has reached number three on the Billboard's Top 100.

Like the song, which bridges two cultures, the Cinco de Mayo event, on the heels of C.A.R.E. Week, came out of an effort to celebrate the diverse backgrounds of all Las Lomas students.

“This year's different because I’ve been noticing the other kids are communicating from other cultures," said senior Larissa Miramonte-Perez, while she helped set up for the Cinco de Mayo event in the Rally Court. "The school hasn’t done a lot of activities, but for today everyone is looking around wondering what's going on. They know what it means, but I feel like they're happy to enjoy today’s activities."

Miramonte-Perez said she welcomed the change.

"The past three years, I haven't really seen this happening," she said. "We gathered to show others what our culture really means.”

Martinez was thrilled to participate because it felt like a celebration of all Latino culture, not just Mexican history.

"In all my 4 years here, I think this is the first time we're making it this big," she said. "Usually Las Lomas doesn't make such a big event over a tradition that isn't theirs."

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