Thousands of people gathered in Civic Center park Saturday, drinking beer, sampling ethnic food and listening to Mexican music at the annual Cinco de Mayo celebration.
While Latino people around the country have become increasingly active in response to immigration issues, Saturday’s celebration was more about Mexican history than modern politics.
“Everyone is out here just supporting Mexican heritage,” said Rocio Valenzuela, a 19-year-old Arvada resident. “It is growing this year a lot.”
Several booths touting political causes were scattered among the food vendors and corporate sponsors. The issue booths attracted considerably fewer people than the designer sunglass sales, raffles to win a free trip to Las Vegas or scantily clad women boxing.
Dignity Through Dialogue and Education opened a voter-registration booth at 10 a.m. on 14th Avenue, but by mid-afternoon the workers had not registered a single new voter.
Patrick Anderson, who was staffing the booth, took it in stride, saying the group passed out a lot of information but people were at the festival to have fun.
“It’s good old American capitalism,” he said.
Maria De Cambra was handing out literature for Coloradans for Fairness and Equality, a group supporting a ballot measure encouraging domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. She said the booth had a steady stream of interested festivalgoers.
“It’s going pretty well,” she added, standing next to a nearly empty table. “We ran out of fliers and are waiting to get more.”
Some not interested in politics still wanted the event to be more substantive.
Rebecca Rivera said she would have liked to see booths dedicated to the history of the day.
Cinco de Mayo celebrates a victory by Mexican forces over French occupiers at Puebla, Mexico, in 1862.
“It’s more than beer and wearing the Mexican flag,” she said.
The stages were filled with Mexican music and some booths sold traditional dolls, clothing and flags.
Denver resident Martrina Arellano is a dancer with the Grupo Tlaloc Danza Azteca, with about two dozen Aztec dancers, who aim to remind people of Mexico’s heritage.
“We’re descendants of the Aztecs,” she said. “Sometimes our own people haven’t seen us so we do this so people don’t forget where we came from.”
As the weather cleared after two days of rain and clouds, people came out in increasing numbers.
Denver police spokesman Detective John White said police estimated the crowd to be around 100,000 Saturday afternoon.
“It’s standing-room only,” he said. “It’s pretty packed.”
The festivities continue today from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
On Federal Boulevard, meanwhile, the traditional Cinco de Mayo cruising continued Saturday night. Observers said traffic appeared lighter than usual and White said police were pleased with the way things were going.
Steve Nash of CopWatch, a citizen watchdog group, said a few stops made by Denver officers were “questionable.”
Staff writer Arthur Kane can be reached at 303-820-1626 or akane@denverpost.com.
