Feliz Cinco de Mayo! I’m always interested in the reasons for things such as why May 5 is an important date in Mexican history. Not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day which is commemorated on Sept. 16, Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican army’s defeat of the French in 1862 at the Battle of Puebla. In the United States, the Fifth of May has turned into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, and the Battle of Puebla is mostly forgotten.
In case you would like to join in on some Cinco de Mayo festivities, bibliographically-speaking, I offer a Mexican-themed reading list. For a bit of history, read “When Montezuma Met Cortes” or watch the DVD “Latino Americans: The 500-Year Legacy that Shaped a Nation.” I don’t know about you, but I think food always makes a special day even more special, so you’ll find three Mexican cookbooks to choose from: “Fiestas,” “Nopalito,” and “Tacos, Tortas, and Tamales.” If you like traditional margaritas but are willing to drink on the wild side, “Fiestas” by chef Marcela Valladolid, includes a recipe for Strawberry Basil Cardamom Margaritas – ol?!
If you want to learn more about the history behind Cinco de Mayo, check out the History Channel’s DVD “Cinco de Mayo.” And because it’s all about Mexico, I’ve included an audio book “Spanish in Minutes” to help you learn to speak this beautiful language. Keep in mind that the library has many other Spanish language learning books and audio books to choose from as well as a couple of great online resources, Mango Languages and Little Pim. Mango has over seventy world languages (Spanish? Si!), and Little Pim is a language learning resource for children. If you start now, maybe by next Cinco de Mayo you and your kiddos can carry on a conversation en espa?ol. Fant?stico!
• “Cinco de Mayo,” DVD by the History Channel.
• “Fiestas: Tidbits, Margaritas & More,” by Marcela Valladolid.
• “Latino Americans: The 500-Year Legacy that Shaped a Nation,” DVD directed by David Belton.
• “Our America: A Hispanic History of the United States,” by Felipe Fern?ndez-Armesto.
• “Nopalito: A Mexican Kitchen,” by Gonzalo Gonz?lez Guzm?n.
• “Spanish in Minutes: How to Study Spanish the Fun Way,” sound recording by Liv Montgomery.
