Fiesta Grande

The banners have been waving in countless public schools in the Southland for weeks, bright colors and Mexican flags announcing Cinco de Mayo fiestas, carnivals and picnics from El Monte to the South Bay, from East Los Angeles to Santa Monica.

It’s a long way from “Hasta con las piedras” (Even with stones), the battle cry heard on May 5, 1862, when a bedraggled, outnumbered and out-armed group of Mexican soldiers joined forces with the civilian population of Puebla to defeat the attack of a handsomely equipped platoon of French invaders.

Although it took Mexico five more years to win the war against the French (one irreverent radio announcer once described Cinco de Mayo as “the battle we won in the war we lost”), the bravery displayed in Puebla went down in history as a source of heroic lore and pride for Mexicans.

But in Southern California, Cinco de Mayo long ago transcended ethnic and nationalistic lines. Never mind that in Mexico it is a minor holiday, something akin to the United States’ Flag Day, since Mexican Independence is celebrated Sept. 16. Here, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on a massive scale surpassed by few, if any, other ethnic holidays. With Cinco falling on a Monday, this year’s celebration is extended into a weekend-full of events.

The reasons for Cinco de Mayo’s unbridled success in Southern California are cause for speculation.

“Frankly, I think it’s an excuse to get out and party,” says Pio Ferro, programming director of KLVE, which, with sister station KTNQ, has sponsored Cinco de Mayo at El Monte’s Whittier Narrows Park for the last seven years.

The noon to 5 p.m. event has drawn more than 100,000 (don’t even think of arriving after noon). This year’s, on Sunday, revolves around performances by some of the station’s most-played artists, which this year include Puerto Rican heartthrob Ricky Martin and Spanish diva Rocio Durcal.

In contrast, KLAX’s Cinco de Mayo fest, Sunday at the Los Angeles Coliseum, is purely Mexican, featuring several banda groups and, the coup of coups: mega-popular band Bronco, playing its last concert in Los Angeles as part of its farewell tour. The concert is free, a deliberate concession to KLAX listeners. “It’s the most Mexican celebration, by the people, for the people,” programming director Juan Carlos Hidalgo says with dramatic flair.

This Populist view of Cinco de Mayo has contributed to its success in the United States, according to historian William Estrada, curator at El Pueblo Monument in Los Angeles. Just as they did in Puebla, “many of the Mexicans who came here faced insurmountable odds,” Estrada says. “Cinco de Mayo is more about beating the odds than Mexican independence. It’s more a people’s victory.”

And it falls on a very convenient date. According to former Los Angeles Board of Education member Larry Gonzalez, Cinco de Mayo celebrations were created by the public schools.

“With the ‘60s coming in and Chicanos protesting that not enough culture and heritage was taught to kids . . . I think the school system wanted to recognize a Mexican celebration, and there was nothing else going on in the spring. . . . They didn’t give us an event, but they created the space for us,” Gonzalez says.

There is no doubt that Cinco de Mayo has become an institution. Not only is it celebrated in just about every public and private school, but most municipal governments sponsor some kind of event in its honor. In Los Angeles, celebrations at historic Olvera Street date to the 19th century and, today, the three-day Celebracion Cinco is a free family event that traditionally draws thousands and thousands.

South of downtown, Maywood also sponsors a free three-day bash expected to attract about 200,000 people thanks to hefty headliners like Barrio Boyzz, Guadalupe Pineda and Fey, who will perform courtesy of co-sponsor Radio Variedades, 97.5 FM.

To a lesser extent, Santa Monica is also staging a celebration, for its third year, at Virginia Avenue Park, and Beverly Hills is bringing in mariachis and Mexican food to its Farmers Market on Sunday.

The beauty of Cinco de Mayo is, after all, that despite its very patriotic roots, it appeals to all cultures, in the same way that one doesn’t have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. No wonder that even places that are not perceived to be Latino-based, like Universal CityWalk, are also celebrating Cinco.

“CityWalk is a representation of Los Angeles, and this appears to be the type of event that connects to what CityWalk is,” says CityWalk senior vice president and general manager Larry Kurzweil. The two-day free family event begins Saturday. The fact that this is CityWalk’s only “ethnic” celebration to date underscores just how mainstream Cinco de Mayo has become.

An excuse to party? For many, that’s what Cinco stands for today, but does it matter? Eighteen years ago, Carlos Holguin, executive director of the Adams and Vermont Community Center, decided to organize a Mexican independence parade in a district where Mexican celebrations were nonexistent. When he was unable to obtain the necessary permits in time for Sept. 16, he waited for May and celebrated Cinco de Mayo instead.

That scheduling fluke is responsible for a neighborhood-run event that brings together police, politicians and residents as well as cheerleaders, bands and drill teams from dozens of schools and a variety of backgrounds. In effect, it exemplifies everything Cinco de Mayo is: a historic celebration that brings together a variety of people who want to have good family fun.

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Where to Cinco Throughout the Weekend

Maywood Cinco de Mayo Street Fair: Slauson Avenue between Carmelita and Atlantic avenues, Friday, 4 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 11 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 10 p.m.; music (including Guadalupe Pineda, Calo, Barrio Boyzz and Fey), wrestling, food, rides; (213) 251-1011 (free).

Los Angeles Coliseum: Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Bronco, Ana Barbara, Mandingo and Grupo Mojado among others; Disneyland characters; free admission, but tickets required; available from KLAX, (310) 203-0900.

Whittier Narrows Park: El Monte; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; mostly music, including Ricky Martin, Amanda Miguel and Diego Torres (free), (818) 568-0902.

Celebracion Cinco: Olvera Street, at the intersection of Cesar Chavez Avenue and Alameda Street in downtown Los Angeles; Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; children’s stage and folklorico music and dancing, including Poncho Sanchez, Genaro Rodriguez and Meghan Gutierrez; (213) 239-6555 (free).

Santa Monica: Cinco de Mayo Celebration at Virginia Avenue Park, 2200 Virginia Ave.; noon to 6 p.m. Saturday; live music, folklorico dancing, food, game booths and prizes; (310) 458-8350 (free).

Universal CityWalk: Cinco de Mayo Family Festival; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., Universal City; Los Comperos guitar troupe, folklorico dancing, mariachi, pinata with Beetlejuice, arts and crafts, puppets and more; (818) 622-4455 (free).

House of Blues: Marc Anthony and Rudy Regalado; Friday, 10 p.m. ($22.50); 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (213) 650-1451.

Plaza de la Raza: Dr. Loco’s Rockin’ Jalapen~o Band; Friday, 8 p.m.; ($20); 3540 N. Mission Road, Los Angeles. (213) 223-2475.

Cinco de Mayo Parade: Saturday, 11 a.m.; starts at 36th Street and Vermont Avenue, ends at Hoover Street and Vermont; (213) 737-5317.

* Cinco de Mayo in Clubland, Page 37.

* In search of a great taco, Page 43.