To celebrate Cinco de Mayo 4 year old Andrea Urquizo donned a traditional Mexican dress and waved a large American flag from the back of a truck during a parade on Chicago's West Side.
Andrea's father urged his daughter to join the festivities so she could gain a better understanding of the historical day. He also wanted the girl who was born in the U.S. to learn more about her family's Mexican heritage.
She knows who her president is she knows a lot of things about the U.S. already said Jose Adrian Urquizo president of the Federacion Unidos Por Zacatecas. But I want her to know both cultures. I want her to respect both cultures.
Related Dancers along Cermak RoadOn a picturesque Sunday hundreds of people lined Cermak Road as they watched the Cinco de Mayo parade a procession of men on horses tumblers large bands and women wearing colorful skirts dancing to Mexican music. Shouts of Viva Mexico filled the air. To get a good look children sat on their parents' shoulders as they clutched miniature American and Mexican flags. Women shaded themselves from the sun with umbrellas and toddlers wore tiny sombreros.
Meanwhile less than 2 miles away crowds flocked to a Cinco de Mayo festival in Douglas Park where people rode carnival rides and weaved in and out of small white tents where vendors sold soccer jerseys and purses that read I (heart) Mexico.
Cinco de Mayo honors the Mexican army's triumph over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 a fact many repeated proudly at the parade.
Before the festivities began Eddie Zavala 39 recalled that his family has celebrated Cinco de Mayo for as long as he can remember. His 2 year old son Devin sat on his shoulders and wore a red white and green bandanna that resembled the Mexican flag.
While the day is commonly celebrated in the U.S. many people here don't realize the significance the day holds said Zavala's uncle Gustavo Portillo 45 who stood nearby wearing a sombrero.
There's people who don't know what Cinco de Mayo really is. They just think it's another party day Portillo said. For us it's a celebration. We're remembering the battle.
jmdelgado tribune.com
Twitter jendelgado1
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