Mike Howells / The Collegian
The 100-year anniversary celebration of the Mexican Revolution took place in the Satellite Student Union on Thursday night. Students, faculty and community members gathered together to remember and celebrate this historical event and the Mexican culture.
“I think it’s always important to be open minded and learn more about different cultures, especially in the area that we live that is so multicultural,” Rosendo Iniguez, event coordinator, said.
This is the third year the Migrant Student Alliance club sponsored the event along with other campus organizations.
“Many students don’t have an idea of what the Mexican Revolution is,” 20-year-old Francisco Vallejo, vice-president of MSA, said. “This is an event that they can learn more about it and at the same time have fun and enjoy.”
According to Professor Maria-Aparecida Lopes from the Chicano and Latin American Studies department, the Mexican Revolution was a movement that started in 1910 and ended with the creation of today’s Mexican Constitution of 1917. She said this historical event gave a new beginning to the Mexican nation.
“The Mexican Revolution is one event in history that is really important,”Lopes said. “Everybody should know something about the Mexican Revolution because that was an event that changed Mexico [that also] affected other countries as well in Latin America.”
Lopes also said that in terms of historiography, she thinks that the Mexican Revolution might be the most studied subject in history.
The event started with the United States national anthem followed by the “La Escolta Mexicana,” which was integrated by six members of MSA, and then the “Himno National Mexicano,” the Mexican national anthem.
Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, the chair of the modern and classical languages and literatures department, was the speaker for the event and offered a speech about “Piramides y Revolutiones” (Pyramids and Revolutions) which included a brief description of the Mexican Revolution and a different perspective about it.
“I wanted to instill in students the concept of revolution,” Jiménez-Sandoval said. “A revolution that I see is the following: For the most part, we in the Valley, as a society, do not concentrate heavily in giving credit to whom credit is due. Credit is due is to those who produce from the land.”
Jiménez-Sandoval also said people never give credit to the people that actually produce the fundamental economy that is the back bone of this society.
After the guest speaker, the audience enjoyed hot chocolate and bread in a 10-15 minutes break.
After the break, the Danzantes de Yoztaltepetl began the program again with their Aztec dances. They dedicated their last dance called “La Danza de Apache” to all the “Jovencitos Guerreros,” or warrior youngsters.
The Associated Student, Inc. President Pedro Ramirez also attended the event to invite and encourage people to come to the rally held on Friday in support of the DREAM Act.
“The message I want to give is to get support for the DREAM Act and to get everybody in the community involved with the issue of immigration,” Ramirez said.
In closing, students performed a humorous play called “Los Vendidos” (Those Sold).
“The message of the play is to show stereotypes and just tell people about them,” 21-year-old Luis Alcauter, president of Migrant Student Alliance, said. “[It’s to] make [the audience] aware that maybe some of those stereotypes are not true.”
Junior student Monica Castro, 20, said it was her first time attending and encouraged others to check out cultural events.
“I think it’s important to know about your culture and it’s important to educate yourself,” Castro said. “If you don’t educate yourself than you lose your culture, and in a sense you lose yourself.”