Before we head out to fulfill our need to "pachanguear" -- party hearty -- take a minute to read about a "distinctly Mexican-American holiday" created equally by civil rights groups and beer companies.

You really made me reflect on Cinco de Mayo between this post and your All About Puebla post: http://pandawhale.com/convo/1203/all-about-puebla

The GOOD article makes a good point:

Insofar as it is impossible to eliminate an excuse to party (or to stop beer companies and bars from advertising around it), folks who are frustrated with the current cultural impact of Cinco de Mayo should see it the same way that Chicano activists and Anheuser-Busch do: An opportunity to engage with and about Mexican Americans, a tool for positive integration as the fast-growing demographic establishes a bi-cultural identity that defies borders.

We can't stop the party, so we may as well understand how we got here.