Sep 16, 2006 3:02 am US/Pacific
Latino Heritage Month Kicks Off In Downtown L.A.
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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Latino Heritage Month kicked off Friday and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles' first mayor of Mexican ancestry since 1872, was downtown for the festivities (file photo).
CBS
Music echoed through City Hall Friday morning to kick off Latino Heritage Month in Los Angeles, home to the largest population of Mexicans outside of Mexico City.
Latino Heritage Month started Friday and runs through Oct. 15, recognizing the accomplishments of Americans of Latino descent.
"This is a great city, a diverse city, the most diverse anywhere in the United States of America, but with a very large Latino influence," said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the first Los Angeles mayor of Mexican ancestry since 1872. "I believe that part of what makes L.A. so unique is that influence and the flavor that comes with the many cultures that we celebrate during Latino Heritage Month."
"From my vantage point, as somebody who has been fortunate enough to be a first, the role of the first is to make sure there are others who come after you," he said.
Villaraigosa and several other city officials walked into the council chamber as music rang out from the Mariachi Divas, a group of women who sing and play guitars, flutes, violins and horns in a genre traditionally dominated by men.
The celebration continues through Friday night at City Hall tonight during the "El Grito" event, where Mexican Consul General Ruben Beltran will ring a bell and cry "Viva Mexico."
Top-notch regional Mexican musicians will also perform at the event, including four-time Grammy-winning group Banda El Recodo. Last year, the Mexican group won a Grammy for "Best Banda Album" for "En Vivo."
"The cry for equality, for dignity, for independence," said Councilman Tony Cardenas, who arranged the event. "That's what we honor tonight in the city of Los Angeles as we celebrate Mexico's independence from Spain and the hope for democracy, which they were able to achieve. We, as Americans, can appreciate that as much as anyone else on earth."
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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