Around the Sound: Cinco de Mayo events around Seattle

Cinco de Mayo is Friday! And while there is no shortage of events around town, one local organization wants to educate others on why the day is historic for Mexican and Indigenous culture with a 3-day celebration kicking off Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Harbor Steps.

“You’re going to see a huge diversity over the weekend, not only with Indigenous dancers, but mariachi, as well as a salsa orchestra where it’s loved by Puerto Ricans as well as parts of Central America and Mexico. It’s going to be a wonderful weekend,” Jose Iniguez, Director of Encanto Arts, said.

The goal is to bring everyone together regardless of whether you speak Spanish and to enjoy free performances from 60 local artists and performers. The Aztec performers are just some of the performers you’ll see on Friday. They continue to pay tribute to their deep roots by participating in events like Cinco de Mayo.

“This, to us, is essentially all of our treasures. The feathers we received represent the knowledge we gained through our lifetime. The beads represent gold - our jewelry, and so to keep this alive is to keep the memory of our ancestors alive,” performer Joel Mercado Jaime said.

“As youth, we need to push our culture. We encourage youth and everyone to come and learn about the traditions,” performer Karol Alaniz said.

Encanto Arts wants everyone to come out to at least one of the three days and learn about Mexican and indigenous culture.

“I know a lot of celebrations happen from Cinco de Mayo, but there is a history and we want to make sure people walk away with that history and why it’s important for Mexicans here and making sure that every single festival that Mexicans are aware as well as English speaking folks that they’re welcome, everyone is welcome,” Iniguez said.

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