McALLEN - Sanchez Elementary School wants to make sure its students and community holds onto tradition.

That's why the McAllen elementary school, which opened this school year, threw its first Cinco de Mayo celebration Friday.

Since many of the students are of Mexican descent, the celebration also teaches them more about their heritage, said Karla Rodriguez, the school's counselor.

"For a lot of them, this is a new experience," Rodriguez said.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla in 1862, when Mexican troops, led by Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza, defeated the French in their attempt to gain control of their country.

Sanchez Elementary is just one of many schools throughout the Rio Grande Valley celebrating the anniversary of that battle with festivals, assemblies and other activities.

Teachers, though, said they see the holiday more as an opportunity to educate their students and the community about Hispanic culture than about the battle.

Embracing heritage

Elizabeth Canales, who teaches folkloric dancing at McAllen Memorial High School, said she tries to incorporate something new each year to educate the public when her students perform at the school's annual celebration. This year, the dance troupe incorporated dances from Europe and Africa to show how those cultures influenced Mexican culture.

Local historians said they're pleased to see the community embrace this piece of history and use it to showcase Hispanic culture.

Juanita Garza, an instructor of Texas history at the University of Texas-Pan American, said schools only began shaping lessons around the holiday and holding events celebrating Hispanic culture for the past two decades.

"I never remember celebrating Cinco de Mayo in school. I celebrated at home," Garza said. When she was in school, any activities celebrating Hispanic culture were not allowed.

But the celebration of the Battle of Puebla became more commercial in recent years, Garza said.

"Now, everybody celebrates, especially merchants and still people don't know what it is. Some people think it's Independence Day," she said. Mexican Independence Day is Sept. 16.

Bravado

Lino Garcia, professor emeritus of Spanish Literature at UTPA, said he's noticed Cinco de Mayo is not celebrated as widely in the Valley as it is in other parts of the country, largely because many local residents are native to the area.

Even though most residents can trace their lineage to Mexico, the Valley was part of the United States when the Battle of Puebla occurred.

As more Mexican nationals immigrated north in the 20th century, Cinco de Mayo become a larger celebration in the United States.

It also flourished as the most popular holiday celebrating Hispanic culture because the story behind that day in 1862 carries more bravado than the independence movement in 1810, Garcia said. The Mexicans defeated the French in one battle at Puebla. But it took Mexicans more than a decade to win independence from Spain.

Cinco de Mayo also has ties to the United States.

Gen. Zaragoza was born in Goliad, Texas. And the battle benefited the United States because it is believed the Mexican victory prevented the French from helping the Confederate states during the Civil War, Garcia said.

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Jennifer L. Berghom covers education and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4462.