Event of the Month

Text by James Boyer We arrived an hour late, still groggy from the previous night's festivities, and were immediately engulfed in the clamorous current of the Cinco de Mayo parade. The procession began a mile inside the Arizona-Mexico border (the parade was internationally coordinated for the first time in 10 years) and would end three miles away near the Plaza de Toros in Nogales, Sonora. It was the main event in a three-day celebration of Mexico's spiritual equivalent of the Fourth of July, and the streets were jammed. The parade itself involved more than 1,000 participants, some marching in unison, others riding upon floats and in trucks and cars. Several antique fire engines rolled by, their chrome wheels glistening in the sun, and sirens blaring ceaselessly. Perched atop convertibles and cars with sun roofs, beautiful young women waved languidly at the crowd. Flanking the parade were thousands of spectators, all waiting intently, it seemed, for a view of a friend or relative. For once this town felt like Mexico. The atmosphere of Nogales frequently is dominated by the haggling of American shoppers with Mexican merchants, but today was different. Everyone dressed up for the occasion. The women wore bright lipstick and dresses of dazzling reds, greens, yellows, and blues; the men, though more somberly clothed, had shined their shoes. As we walked, I watched a woman in an electric-blue satin dress warn her son to be careful as he clambered up a drainpipe to join his friends on the roof of a store where rebar still jutted into the air (the optimistic symbol of a planned second story). Directly behind a uniformed contingent of stiffly marching Red Cross workers cruised a metallic-blue Trans-Am, the music of American rapper Vanilla Ice spilling out its windows at a volume that made the sidewalk tremble. The driver wore dark glasses, and his open shirt revealed several gold chains. From a second-story balcony of the municipal building, local officials saluted the passing procession The story of Cinco de Mayo goes back to 1861, when a long and brutal civil war in Mexico had just come to an end. The defeated conservative army appealed to Napoleon III of France in hope of deposing liberal Benito Juarez from his new seat of power. Napoleon sent 3,000 men to Mexico, more out of his own interest in becoming a conqueror than in aiding the Mexican conservatives. At the time, the French infantrymen were renowned fighters, and Napoleon expected an easy victory. When his troops reached the town of Puebla, on May 5, 1862, they were confronted by a volunteer army of liberals who had frantically banded together upon hearing of the French invasion. They were ill-prepared in both arms and training, but they were determined. For centuries the Mexicans had been battered by foreign powers, but not on this day. Intense fighting ensued, and when it was over the French were in flight. Although this was not the last battle the Mexicans fought to win their ultimate freedom (Napoleon eventually installed a puppet regime under Emperor Maximilian that lasted five years), the spirit of this battle made the victory one of Mexico's proudest. Later on the holiday, we attended the bullfight, an event of great pageantry I recommend only to the stouthearted. Then it was time again for the paradas

CINCO DE MAYO CELEBRATES ONE OF MEXICO'S PROUDEST MOMENTS

determined. For centuries the Mexicans had been battered by foreign powers, but not on this day. Intense fighting ensued, and when it was over the French were in flight. Although this was not the last battle the Mexicans fought to win their ultimate freedom (Napoleon eventually installed a puppet regime under Emperor Maximilian that lasted five years), the spirit of this battle made the victory one of Mexico's proudest. Later on the holiday, we attended the bullfight, an event of great pageantry I recommend only to the stouthearted. Then it was time again for the paradas, or food stands, where we sipped Coronas and filled up on tacos and quesadillas and carne asada. By dark the streets were packed again, and we danced to the lively Norteño folkmusic bands. At midnight we were exhausted, but the locals were still going strong, their third night in a row.

As we plodded north across the border to our car, sore of foot and exhausted, I thought about the Mexican spirit and the men who fought at Puebla. If the French had ever attended a Mexican fiesta, I said to myself, they never would have invaded.

WHEN YOU GO

This month's Nogales Cinco de Mayo celebration extends from April 25 to May 3. Activities on both sides of the border include the parade, a wine festival, a street fair with food booths and mariachis, and bullfights. Nogales, Arizona, is located 63 miles south of Tucson on Interstate 19. It is most convenient to park on the U.S. side and walk across the border, though neither a visa nor car permit is required to enter Mexico (provided you stay within the Nogales area). But you'll need to purchase Mexican auto insurance. Dollars are accepted by all shops. Wear comfortable walking shoes. For more information, contact the Nogales Chamber of Commerce, Kino Park, Nogales, AZ, 85621; (602) 287-3685.