04/23/92

CONTACT: Stanford University News Service (650) 723-2558

Mass, lectures, concerts to mark Cinco de Mayo at Stanford

STANFORD -- A bilingual mass, lectures and concerts are among the many activities planned at Stanford May 1-5 as part of the University's annual celebration of Cinco de Mayo.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the historic battle of May 5, 1862, in which a small Mexican army led by Benito Juarez defeated invading French colonial troops. This year's celebration at Stanford also will mark the 20th anniversary of Casa Zapata, the university's Chicano theme house.

Festivities will begin at noon Friday, May 1, with a Cinco de Mayo musical celebration at Tresidder Union. That evening, at 7 p.m. in the Zapata lounge, resident fellow Tony Burciaga is scheduled to sign copies of his new book, Undocumented Love/Amor Indocumentado: A Personal Anthology of Poetry.

On Saturday, May 2, the salsa band "Kaliz" will offer a concert at 10 p.m. in Burnham Pavilion. Admission is free.

Activities on Sunday, May 3, will include a bilingual mass at 1 p.m., followed by Mexican food, music, dancing and pinata breaking in the Casa Zapata courtyard. Guests will include Trio Tamunal, Mariachi Nuevo San Jose, and El Ballet Folklorico de Stanford.

Speakers that afternoon will include historian Henry Gutierrez at 5:15 p.m. on "The Meaning and Origins of Cinco de Mayo" and Arturo Pacheco at 5:30 p.m. on "The Origin of Casa Zapata." Pacheco, now vice president at the University of Texas-El Paso, was the first resident fellow at Zapata while a faculty member in the Stanford School of Education.

Activities on Tuesday, May 5, will include a kermez, or carnival, with food, music and the dancing of El Ballet Folklorico, beginning at noon in front of the Old Union. El Ballet will return to Casa Zapata that evening, from 7 to 10 p.m., for a late night celebration with Mexican snacks, music and dancing. A video featuring the comedy group Culture Clash will be shown at 10 p.m.

Cinco de Mayo at Stanford is sponsored by El Centro Chicano, Casa Zapata and MECA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan). All events are free and open to the public. For more information, call (415) 723-2089.

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