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For too long, many have accepted Cinco de Mayo—and by extension, Mexican culture—as an excuse to down a few tequila shots. But for Mexicans, the holiday is more complicated: In the homeland, it’s only celebrated in the state of Puebla to commemorate the 19th-century victory a Mexican battalion won against the French army. The Mexican-American community took the holiday and gave it new meaning, using Cinco de Mayo a defiant occasion to celebrate and assert their rightful place in the United States.
Growing up, I saw a holiday that was supposed to celebrate Mexican-American identity as one that turned our culture into an opportunity to sell discounted margaritas. Don’t get us wrong, we love a good party (and occasionally, a great drink), but Mexican-Americans have a lot more to offer. To me, the power in New York’s Mexican community is that we’ve managed to find pride and joy in our heritage in spite of messaging about our communities being filled with drug dealers and currently, a criminal presence to be purged from our borders.
What most don’t realize is that you can’t get rid of us because we’re everywhere, even when you don’t realize it. There are more than 330,000 Mexicans in New York, and we all have a different story to tell. We’ve managed to break out of every box we’ve been placed in—Now, we’re just waiting for everyone else to notice.
Last year, we highlighted prominent New York Mexicans through our Cinco to Celebrate editorial package, in which we asserted the importance of New York’s Mexican community as a force that deserves to be recognized, appreciated and ultimately, platformed. This year we’re doing that again, but bigger: Through more features, we want to show that there're infinite ways Mexicans show up in New York culture, sometimes in ways you don’t expect. Whether they’re playing hard techno behind the decks at Basement; photographing covers for your favorite magazine; or being big time influencers on TikTok, they’re all shaping the future of our city.
First up, check out our story on the mariachi using music to uplift New York's Mexican community.