Cinco de Mayo was celebrated a month early this year at Quinnipiac. The Latino Cultural Society, SHADES and the Multicultural Events Committee sponsored the second annual Cinco de Mayo celebration in Alumni Hall on April 4.

“Events like this are important because they help people to understand, participate and enjoy the cultures of others,” Aileen Dever, an assistant professor of Spanish said. “There’s such a rich mosaic of people of different backgrounds at this event. It’s so colorful and exciting to be a part of this.”

David Valone, director of cultural programs in the College of Liberal Arts introduced Alturas Duo, a musical group out of Hartford comprised of two members, Carlos Boltes of Chile and Scott Hill of Canada.

Alturas Duo has performed throughout Canada, the United States and Chile. They performed throughout the on-campus festival. The duo explained the cultural significance of all of the songs played and also described their instruments.

The event was intended as a festive gathering. “We figured that since Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of independence in Mexico we would plan an end of the year celebration,” Stephanie Gonzalez, the president of the Latino Cultural Society, said.

“Since this is our second annual Cinco de Mayo celebration, we wanted to bring back the Latin culture and open students’ eyes to a different heritage,” Erica Gargallo, vice president of LCS, said.

Food at the event was catered by Aunt Chilada’s and Paisanitos in Hamden. Mocktails [alcohol-free drinks] were served by members of SADD [Students Against Destructive Decisions] and there were pi