SJSU celebrates Mexican Independence

San José State celebrated Mexican Independence Day with all the traditions that made students feel at home. 

“Festival de la Independencia,” is a celebration organized by SJSU to include students of Mexican heritage and offer inclusion to the student body.

At SJSU, 28.2% of the student body is of Hispanic descent, according to an SJSU web page.
Gustavo Gonzalez, a first-year student, stumbled upon the event while walking around campus.

“It’s been a great feeling and it feels like home, everyone at the event has been very welcoming,” Gonzalez said. 

Gonzalez mentioned his Mexican heritage which is why this event caught his attention especially since he is away from home on the actual day. 

Mexican Independence Day is a celebration when Mexico fought and was granted independence from Spain and the celebration is inspired by the 4th of July Independence Day festivities, according to the National Today webpage.

Independence Day is not Cinco De Mayo, which is a misconception in America. Cinco De Mayo is a celebration of Mexico’s victory against the French in the battle of Puebla and not passionately celebrated like Sept. 16, according to the same web page.

Local artists, a food truck and school programs that involved Hispanic students which provided information for different opportunities for students like the Latinx and Chicanx Success Center.

Joel Mendoza, an SJSU third-year art student, had a booth sharing his work about paintings from Latino culture with slight twists to it such as a Hello Kitty painting dressed as famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. 

“Behind the art is me representing my Latino culture and the great leaders such as César Chávez while adding a little bit of my touch and style to it,” said Mendoza. 

Chávez’ cultural significance because he was a labor leader and a civil rights activist who fought equality and justice. 

Mendoza wanted to represent Latino culture, promote his artwork and put himself out there while also motivating others that possibly have the same drive and passion as him.

Along with featured artists were performances from the Mariachi San José in the Music Building at Concert Hall and a final performance by Mariachi Oroazul de SJSU. 

Mariachi San José is a class at SJSU which allows students and volunteers from the community to participate and share their music. Mariachi Orozaul de SJSU is a student-run ensemble that is affiliated with the school. 

José R. Torres, an assistant professor of ethnomusicology and director of Mariachi San José, described the significance behind mariachi in Mexican culture as something the culture is proud about and uses for special occasions. 

“This type of music is very attached to celebrations out in the real world and people use it to commemorate anything that can be marked by the flavor of Mexican culture,” said Torres.

The group performed famous Mexican songs such as “Hermoso Cariño” and some members demonstrated their grito, such as Cameron Samayoa who sang the song for the group.

El Grito is a traditional “cry of independence” that is used as an action to mark the beginning of Independence according to a Sept. 15 article by NBC Los Angeles source.

The mariachi also performed a final song “El Son de la Negra” that they sang together. 

“This song could be considered the second national anthem to Mexico,” said Torres before performing. 

“El Son de la Negra” is a very popular and important part in Mexican folk culture which is why it’s considered the “second national anthem” to Mexico and it embodies the spirit of mariachi music as described here.

Among the traditional dances was a local banda group “Banda La Elegante” that played the genre of banda music, traditional to Mexican celebration.

Banda is a style of Mexican music that originated from the state ofSinaloa with an instrumental lineup with one to two vocalists, the genre is commonly known for dancing and celebration, according to Indiana University. 

The Chicanx/Latinx Student Success Center was among the organizations at the event that offered its services to students.

Maya Mena, a fourth-year justice studies student, was tabling for the center at the event.

“We have free snacks, we provide free water, coffee, and tea, and a study space for anybody. You don’t have to have a Latino background; anybody can be here,” said Mena.

The success center affirms and helps uplift Latinx student experiences on campus and works to create opportunities for students on campus and further student success.  

Jared Macareg, a first-year pre-nursing student, stood in line for tacos at the food truck.

“The line looks super long, but it went by fast, the tacos were good and had a lot of flavor, the ones I got here are carne asada,” Marcareg said. 

The food truck was set up in front of the event center for students to line up after they checked into the event.

Lowriders were displayed in Washington Square just before the Music building as you walked towards the event, some displayed a Mexican flag and another flag that said “Esta Vida” referring to the lowrider life in San José.  

Lowrider culture has deep roots in San José especially since a lowrider ban was recently lifted in 2023 after a ban, according to a Sept. 1, 2023 article NBC Bay Area 

“It was a great experience and offered a lot of really interactive festivities for students, a lot of people seemed to have a great time,” said Macareg.