Celebrations, Ceremonies Mark Cinco de Mayo

LOS ANGELES â€”  As part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations on Wednesday, the Mexican Office of Foreign Affairs honored Prof. David Maciel, head of Chicano Studies at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Maciel is the author of books on Mexican cinema and immigration, which have helped give readers greater understanding about modern-day issues, said Jose Angel Pescador, Mexico’s consul general in Los Angeles.

The professor received the ohtli, an honor bestowed on people outside Mexico who have distinguished themselves in working toward the betterment of Mexicans. Ohtli means “the way� in the indigenous Nahuatl language.

The honor is given to trailblazers who help make sense out of difficult times, Pescador said at a luncheon at the Mexican Consulate. “Dr. Maciel is like a light that is showing us the way.�

“It is time for us to realize that the Mexican community on this side of the border is gaining influence every day in Mexico,� Maciel said. And events in Mexico have great impact on the U.S. community, he said.

While Maciel was receiving a medal, more than 2,000 homeless people celebrated Cinco de Mayo at the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles. Mariachi Genesis played traditional ranchera songs as individuals and families savored a Mexican meal.

“Since people are so lonely around here, this is an opportunity to bring some joy and color to them by having music and food,� said Jan McDougall, the mission’s director.

In Culver City, more than 55 representatives of businesses met with about 900 Latino job-seekers as part of a Cinco de Mayo Career Expo.

During the daylong event at the Culver City Veterans Memorial Auditorium, special emphasis was put on job applicants with disabilities, said Erin Treadwell, spokeswoman for the state Department of Rehabilitation.

“Since so many of our clients are Latinos, it was just natural to try to tie in with that community on Cinco de Mayo,� Treadwell said. At Independence Square, a 196-unit public housing complex in the Adams historic district, young dancers from San Fernando Garden’s folkloric dance group entertained senior citizens as part of a celebration there.

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican--and now Mexican American--holiday that commemorates the 1862 Battle of Puebla, in which an ill-equipped Mexican army defeated a French force then considered the best in the world.