For many of us, Cinco de Mayo means taking Taco Tuesday to the next level with loads of Mexican cocktails and party celebrations. But did you know that Cinco de Mayo is more than just celebrating the holiday with good food and good company? May 5 is an annual celebration that marks the day the Mexican Army took down the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, way back in 1862. It was a historical feat as the small Mexican army overcame the larger French forces.
In the U.S., however, Cinco de Mayo is associated with celebrating Mexican-American culture through festivals and other cultural events. Beginning in the 1940’s, Cinco de Mayo was celebrated to highlight diversity and honor Mexican culture and heritage, especially in areas with large Mexican-American populations, including Los Angeles, Dallas, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Diego, Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, Phoenix, and more. Today, Cinco de Mayo festivities have gone global, with celebrations being held in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, the Caribbean, and more. The holiday not only celebrates the culture of Mexico and Latin American heritage, but highlights the importance of diversity.
In today’s list of recommendations, we’ve curated five insightful online classes to take you through the journey of discovering Mexican culture and five amazing home and kitchen products crafted by Mexicans to celebrate this year’s holiday. Check them out below.
A Meaningful Way to Celebrate Cinco De Mayo: Learn about the Mexican culture.
The Mexican culture is a vibrant one that bursts with energy, flavor, and vigor. One of the meaningful ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo this season is to go beyond attending themed parties and really immersing oneself in the culture. You can do so by taking up virtual classes on Mexican culture, such as cuisine, art, and history. We’ve listed some interesting ones for you to consider below.
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1. Cook Delicious Low Sodium Mexican Food! by Judy Craft
One of the more common ways to experience Mexican culture is through their cuisine. With this virtual class hosted by Judy Craft, you’ll learn how to make hearty Mexican meals such as low-sodium Mexican enchiladas, dips, green chili, Mexican rice, and more. This course features 2.5 hours of on-demand video, 32 downloadable resources, full lifetime access on mobile and TV, and a certificate of completion. Sign up at Udemy.
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2. Authentic Mexican Salsa’s, Fresh Homemade And Delicious by John Thomas Mattison
Discover how to create authentic tomato and tomatillo salsas from different parts of Mexico with this 40-minute class that will teach you how to spot the ripest produce at your farmer’s market so you can create flavor filled salsas. This course will also help you understand and apply cooking techniques such as roasting, sun drying, blackening, fire roasting, and boiling so you can create mouthwatering salsa for tacos, enchiladas, burritos, chips, and also sandwich spreads. This course offers on-demand video, full lifetime access on mobile and TV, and a certificate of completion. Sign up at Udemy.
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3. How to Dry Beef and Make Mexican Beef Jerky ‘Carne Seca’ by Jorge Guerrero
Love Mexican beef jerky? Now is the time to try making your own with this virtual class from Jorge Guerrero. In this class, you’ll learn how to produce simple yet delicious dry meat jerky or carne seca. This class will also teach you the best duration and storage for beef jerky and how to come up with the base formula for creating brines. This course offers four hours on-demand video, eight downloadable resources, full lifetime access on mobile and TV, and a certificate of completion. Sign up at Udemy.
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4. Diego Rivera and the Mexican Muralists: The Art of the Mexican Revolution by Federico von Borstel
Delve into the history of Mexico through art with this course by Federico von Borstel, who tells the story of how the Mexican Muralist movement painted the history of the Mexican Revolution. It features the works by Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros and more. Derek Stephen McPhail, who reviewed the course gave it a 5-star rating, writing that the course “presented this well researched material in such a relaxed and evenly paced manner.” The course features 2 hours on-demand video, 9 downloadable resources, full lifetime access on mobile and TV, and a certificate of completion. Sign up at Udemy.Sign up at Udemy.
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5. Mexican and Mariachi Guitar by Music Course Online
If you’re fascinated with the Mexican and Mariachi guitar, then this is the opportunity for you to learn more about it. For those who have basic knowledge on playing guitar chords, you’ll enjoy learning simple and powerful techniques on how to perform eight different styles of Mexican and Mariachi songs. This course will teach you Mexican rhythms with syllables and body percussion exercises using your foot and clapping, melodies, riffs, and scales, bass phrases, and more. It will also teach you to use chord diagrams, tablatures, lyrics and chord charts to master some songs. It features 2.5 hours on-demand video, 9 downloadable resources, full lifetime access on mobile and TV, and a certificate of completion. Sign up at Udemy.
Another Meaningful Way to Celebrate Cinco De Mayo: Support local Mexican business such as online stores or restaurants
A great way to commemorate the cultural holiday of Cinco de Mayo is to appreciate the art and culture that comes with the cuisine or product. One way you can celebrate the holiday is to support your local Mexican restaurant or shop online for the best deals made by Mexican artisans. We’ve curated some of the best picks in this list.
1. Mexican Cocktail Kit by Rodolfo Pila Bautista
Cinco de Mayo won’t be complete without Mexican cocktails. This season, go for an authentic Mexican cocktail experience with this kit crafted by Rodolfo Pila Bautista. In Jalisco, Mexico, festivals are extra special with a unique fizzy, tarty, cocktail made up of citrus, tequila, grapefruit soda, and chili salt. These ingredients are mixed up in clay cups called cantaritos de barro, which keep the cocktail of the same name cool and even more delicious. Make your own cantaritos de barro at home with this kit from Rodolfo Pila Bautista, who has been making traditional ceramics since his youth, growing up in Tonalá, Mexico. He is a fifth-generation potter who loves the craft and enjoys sharing it with others. Shop at Uncommon Goods.
2. Verve Culture Volcanic Stone Molcajete & Basket Set
The mortar and pestle is a kitchen staple that Mexicans use to create scrumptious salsas and meals. The volcanic stone molcajete or volcanic-stone mortar and pestle honors the centuries-old traditions of crafting and cooking with tools from nature by the Mexicans. The molcajete has a unique seasoning effect when it is properly cured as it becomes infused with the spices ground within it. This set also comes with a colorful tortilla basket made from hand woven palm leaves that’s great for storing the molcajete or for serving tortillas. These items are handmade by artisans in Mexico. Shop at Nordstrom.
3. Mexican Kitchen Towels, Set of 4
This Cinco de Mayo, add a touch of authentic Mexican culture to your home with this set of Mexican kitchen towels or servilletas, which are so versatile, cheery, and hard-working. These dish towels can be hung by the sink to dry hands or dishes, wrapped around tortillas to keep them warm on taco Tuesdays, or set on the table as beautiful, eye-catching napkins or even placemats. These servilletas are crafted by artisans in Mexico using mechanical looms. Shop at Uncommon Goods.
4. Traditional Mexican Hot Chocolate Set
There’s nothing quite like a hearty cup of hot chocolate to warm the spirit. This Cinco de Mayo, serve up some hearty goodness with this Traditional Mexican Hot Chocolate Set, which lets you make real hot chocolate the way it is traditionally done for centuries in Oaxaca, southwestern Mexico. Enjoy the experience of mixing and frothing using the hand-carved molinillo whisk and the stoneware clay. The tablets of Mexican chocolate are made up of cacao, sugar, almonds, pecans, walnuts, and cinnamon. The kit also includes the red clay jug and molinillo or whisk. Handmade in Mexico. Shop at Uncommon Goods.
5. Elements Tea Steep Mugs
Those who are looking to add a boho touch to their breakfast table should consider these Elements Tea Steep Mugs, which are hand-painted in a different color and pattern to represent one of the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Each tea steep mug comes with a fitted lid that effectively keeps the heat in the mug and also doubles as small dishes to hold spent tea bags when you’re ready to have a sip. Each lid also contains a short mantra relating to the element the mug represents. “Be still” for earth, “be gentle” for air, “be passionate” for fire, and “be fluid” for water. These mugs are handmade from ceramic in Mexico. Shop at Uncommon Goods.
Lastly, support the arts!
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Throughout the pandemic, art has been a way for people to cope and express their feelings, whether good or bad. A great way to give back to the art community this Cinco de Mayo is to donate to cultural centers. According to the Los Angeles Times, museums, art galleries, and cultural centers have all been struggling just as most of us have since 2020, but there is a way to give back to the community this season. Help keep cultural centers alive to teach the next generation our collective history by donating to the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach or the Mexican Cultural Center of Northern California this Cinco de Mayo.
More great ideas for Cinco de Mayo and celebrations await in the stories from our archive below. To make sure you don’t miss out on our new posts, sign up for the weekly Teelie Turner newsletter.
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