Cinco de Mayo: South Omaha museum celebrates and educates

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - It’s Cinco de Mayo, a celebration not just here, but in Central America.

As a way to celebrate the holiday, El Museo Latino is showcasing a piece of Mexican culture with their new exhibit called ‘The Natural Dyes of Oaxaca’.

Cinco de Mayo is more than just the food and the parties. Oftentimes many believe the holiday is a celebration of Mexican independence.

“We celebrate May 5th as commemorating the battle that took place in Puebla, Mexico,” Garcia said.

In reality, it’s about the culture and freedom of Mexico.

Magdalena Garcia, the founder of El Museo Latino, welcomed the new exhibit showcasing that important piece of what makes up the Mexican cultural fabric.

“It’s possible for a small group of Mexicans, and it’s representative of what we can do and stand up against all obstacles and win,” Garcia said.

On each wall, you’ll see pictures of indigenous communities from Oaxaca, Mexico.

They use plants, snails, and beetles to make natural dyes that are used to color fabric for clothes, blankets, and other items.

“There’s history and tradition and it’s valuable to Latino culture,” Garcia said.

Garcia describes it as a process that started in Central America hundreds of years ago, now used in other parts of the world.

Brandon Mena attended today’s exhibit opening. As a Latino himself, he’s glad to see more representation of Mexican culture.

“In Nebraska, I feel like they don’t talk about Latinos,” Mena said.

Mena sees this exhibit as a way to inspire the community to learn not just about Mexico, but Latin America as a whole.

“When they think of Latin America they’ll think of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and South America,” Mena said.

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