Sacramento State celebrated Cinco de Mayo at the Serna Plaza on Wednesday evening to celebrate the Mexican culture and bring awareness on the history of the day.

Before the start of the celebration, sociology professor Manuel Barajas spoke on the significance of the event.

According to Barajas, Cinco de Mayo commemorates the outnumbered and poorly equipped Mexican army in its 1862 victory at the Battle of Puebla when the French armies attempted to capture the small town of Puebla in east-central Mexico.

Today, the victory is not largely celebrated in Mexico, but it is given attention in the U.S where many people often mistake Cinco de Mayo with the September 16 Mexican independence, which is highly valued both in Mexico and the U.S.

In the U.S, Cinco de Mayo is more of an interpretation of Mexican heritage and culture, particularly in Mexican-American populations.

Ethnic Studies Professor Nexus Avelar said the holiday is a day to feel self-determination, culture, history and language.

The celebration was put together with the collaboration of ASI, UNIQUE, MECHA, and the Multicultural Center.

UNIQUE member Carly Preston said the event was a way to build community amongst students and organizations working together and to unite different cultures.

ASI provided free food which included burritos and chips and salsa, while UNIQUE provided the music artists and MECHA brought a car show.

Music performances included Sac State student Jay Cruz, who performed a variety of Latin American music such as Bachata and Reggaeton. The second performance was put on by B-Side Players, a San Diego based band who incorporated sounds of Mexico, Brazil, Jamaica and Cuba in funk, rock rhythms.

Although celebrating was not the only goal behind the event, student organizations saw it as an opportunity to educate others who may have not been aware of what Cinco de Mayo really was.

“This day has been appropriated and that’s not what it is about,” said MECHA member Denise Fernandez. “ It’s not fair to go out and appropriate, the biggest thing to know about this day is the history.

She said many people use Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to drink and party without knowing the reason behind it.

Sociology major Santos Pacheco also believes Cinco de Mayo is not just a day to have fun but more of a day to bring cultural awareness.

“It’s important to bring cultural awareness on the misconceptions on Cinco de Mayo, “ Pacheco said. “ If we leave it the way it is, without explaining, what that means is we’re not being culturally responsible.”