Cinco

As part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations on Wednesday, the Mexican Office of Foreign Affairs honored Prof. David Maciel, head of Chicano Studies at Cal State Dominguez Hills. Maciel is the author of books on Mexican cinema and immigration, which have helped give readers greater understanding about modern-day issues, said Jose Angel Pescador, Mexico's consul general in Los Angeles.

Drawn in part by television and radio promotions, tens of thousands of youths converged on Knott's Berry Farm for a Cinco de Mayo celebration Wednesday, disrupting traffic and commerce and sparking scattered violence. When more than 200 officers in riot gear arrived at the scene just before noon, they faced a hail of rocks and bottles. Some teens began fighting with each other and stopped traffic on nearby streets.

Drawn in part by television and radio promotions, tens of thousands of youths converged on Knott's Berry Farm on Wednesday for a Cinco de Mayo celebration, disrupting traffic and commerce and sparking scattered violence until hundreds of riot police restored order. The event's 5-cent admission price was heavily publicized on KIIS-FM, a music station popular among teens, and also promoted on Spanish-language station KMEX-TV.

In a marketing move that might ease the load on crowded Southern California-area classrooms Wednesday, Knott's Berry Farm says it will celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a special 5-cent admission price for park-goers who arrive between 6 and 10 a.m. The park, which normally opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. on weekdays, not only is opening four hours early; it is adding two hours to the end of the day with a special closing time of 8 p.m.

Quick. What comes to mind when you hear the words "Latin music"? Ricky Martin aside, in Southern California, probably Mexican regional forms such as mariachi, banda and norten~o. But in Miami it would probably be the Cuban son, or the Puerto Rican take on it, known as salsa, or Haitian compa. In Texas, the cumbia stylings of tejano might be served up as "Latin music," while in New York the category would include Dominican merengue, rap, and rock en espanol.

The children waited patiently to take a whack at the pink papier-mache rooster dangling from a tree--a hit here, a miss there. Samantha Mazur, 9, finally busted the creature open, spilling its contents of candy and trinkets onto the ground. Children scrambled to scoop up the goodies. Mazur was one of more than 3,000 people who strolled through the Cinco de Mayo-themed farmers market Sunday on Victory Boulevard.

Years ago, Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for the fifth day of May) marked the 1862 victory of the Mexican army under the command of Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza over French troops at the Battle of Puebla. On Wednesday, Cinco de Mayo will be observed by millions across the United States in one form of celebration or another. Cinco de Mayo is sometimes mistakenly referred to as Mexican independence day, although that is properly celebrated Sept. 16.

As Mexicans and others gather this weekend to commemorate the 1862 victory of a ragtag Mexican army over a superior force of French troops, the most unusual refrain to be heard during the celebrating might very well be: "Jeul-guh-eun o wol o il!" That's Korean for "Happy Cinco de Mayo." Among the variety of events scheduled to mark the Mexican holiday is the start today of a unique art exhibit featuring five Latino artists and five Korean-born artists.

In 1862, Cinco de Mayo--May 5--was the day a band of vastly outnumbered Mexican soldiers defeated powerful invading French troops under Napoleon II in Puebla, Mexico. These days, Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of that feat--one that, in fact, attracts more attention here in Los Angeles than in Mexico. In anticipation of the battle's anniversary next Wednesday, this weekend is full of fiestas and festivals. Friday Start celebrating at L.A.'

An indifferent teaching staff, deteriorating buildings and a perceived favoritism toward black students were a few of the systemic factors cited in a report examining why violence frequently erupts between blacks and Latinos at Inglewood High School around Cinco de Mayo.