Oh, Mexico: Taking to the Street to Celebrate Cinco De Mayo

Given Miami's affinity for booze and bedlam, it's only natural that Cinco De Mayo left South Beach drenched in tequila into the wee hours of Thursday morning.

And given the Latin influence in these parts, the festivities crossed all zip codes in Dade. From the Grove to Aventura and all stops in between, folks celebrated Mexico's vanquishing of the French.

But nowhere were the margaritas, Corona and tequila more flowing than along Hispaniola Way where the folks at Oh, Mexico restaurant held their 10th annual Cinco de Mayo Street Festival.

"Folks in Miami like to have a good time," said organizer Danny Gamez. "We have a large following of South Americans and Mexicans that come to dine with us, so of course we had to host a great event."

Gamez admitted most came for the Corona, but patrons stayed for the El Mariachi band and Latin Funk quartet. While the bands were crowd favorites, a pooch decked out as a Mexican cowboy -- mustache and all -- stole the show.

For those who missed the history lesson behind the free flowing tequila, Gamez offered a short but concise overview.

"We're having a good time, but there is really important story behind why we're celebrating," he said. "It's a very important holiday. The Battle of Puebla was a very historic victory for the Mexican people."

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