CHUBBUCK — Latino organizations and tribal leaders celebrated Cinco de Mayo a few days early on Sunday with a community party at Pine Ridge Mall complete with entertainment, free Mexican food and thousands of dollars in prizes.

“We wanted to unite the whole community,” said Hank Gonzales, president of the Hispanic Caucus. “We wanted to celebrate the Latino and native communities and our roots.”

According to Gonzales, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe and those Latinos who trace their families to Mexico have a shared ancestry. Tribes would move from the northwest of the United States down into Mexico but eventually split. Some became the well-known Aztec tribe of Mexico, and others were the ancestors of the local Shoshone-Bannock Tribe.

To celebrate this ancestral tie, many of the booths featured local Native American artists, entrepreneurs and bead workers.

The event was organized with the help of the Hispanic Caucus, the Cinco de Mayo committee, the Latino Economic and Development Center (LEAD), tribal leaders and Idaho State University’s Latino fraternity and sorority.

“It’s really about brining economic ability to everyone and celebrating the diversity of Pocatello,” said Sonia Martinez, a member of LEAD. “We’re celebrating cultural and community ties.”

ISU’s Latino fraternity Lambda Theta Phi was asked to help after the success of its Dia de Los Muertos celebration earlier this year. They provided the emcees for the evening and helped organize the event.

Lambda Theta Alpha, the Latina Sorority, helped dish up the free food, set up and clean up of the event and anything else that needed to be done.

“One of our principles is to be a voice for the Latino community,” said Lambda Theta Alpha member Rebecca Valles. “We feel it’s important to show the community that we’re active in the community.”

At the event, Levon Tyler of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe read a blessing, and a proclamation from the county commissioners was read. There were also performances of mariachi music and traditional Mexican dances.

Cinco de Mayo has become a popular holiday in the U.S. but, while many believe it is to celebrate Mexican independence, it is a celebration of a miraculous victory over the French in the battle of Puebla.