[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]his past weekend was Lucha VaVoom&#8217;s event Cinco De Mayan Gigante!!! at the Mayan Theater in downtown Los Angeles. Entertainment provide by lucha libres and burlesque acts from the L.A. area. Event photographer Erwin Recinos was on assignment covering this event. Tosca is a performance artist that whipped the audience into seduction. Grandeza Mexicana…

Recap: Cinco de Mayan Gigante!!!

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<p>Professional punk and Editor-In-Chief for James Beard Award-winning L.A. TACO. Associate Producer for JBA-winning Las Crónicas Del Taco. Former restaurant scout for Jonathan Gold. Co-author of &#8220;Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico (2019, Abrams) and &#8220;Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling&#8221; (2023, Abrams).</p>


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Lauren Bethke

<p><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif">Emilio Valdez is a street-level photographer with a special interest in documenting the ever-changing neighborhoods of Central and East Los Angeles</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif">. His work focuses on bringing the past and present discrimination of marginalized people of color to light.</span></p>


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<div dir="ltr">Shylah Featherstone is a journalism student at Cerritos College and an intern at L.A. TACO, where she covers food, culture, and community stories across Los Angeles. Passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices, she hopes to build a career in multimedia journalism that connects people through thoughtful storytelling.</div>
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Celebrating the Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles, CA

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Aisha Wallace-Palomares

<p>Izzy Ramirez is a Los Angeles-based staff reporter with L.A. TACO, documenting immigration enforcement and state power as it unfolds on the ground. Their work centers real-time alerts and long-term public archiving throughout the Southern California region.</p>


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<p>Jaylyn Preslicka is a reporter from the greater Los Angeles area who specializes in investigative reporting. She has covered immigration, health, politics, and policy for various outlets.</p>


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<p>A.k.a. Afroxander; Editor-At-Large (formerly Weekend Editor) at L.A. Taco and a lecturer at California State University San Bernardino &amp; San Diego State University. He has covered arts, culture, history, politics, and sports with an emphasis on Latin America and its U.S. diaspora for over two decades.</p>


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<div>Ivan Ehlers is an Ecuadorian-American cartoonist and writer. He is a regular contributor to <i>The New Yorker</i>, <i>MAD Magazine</i> and the <i>Los Angeles Times</i>.</div>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Scott Shulman has 50 years of experience as a news cameraman, editor, broadcast engineer, and senior producer. He is the recipient of every major broadcast journalism award, including 7 News &amp; Documentary Emmy Awards, 2 Peabody Awards, the DuPont-Columbia University Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and many other honors. He retired in 2021 and currently works as a part-time park ranger for the City of Beverly Hills.</span></p>


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<p class="p1">An award-winning journalist covering ICE and immigration raids. Host of the Daily Memo. ‘Where Memo Torres Eats’ on Apple Maps. Seen on Netflix, occasionally on KCRW. 3rd-gen landscaper. Proud son of an immigrant. Golden Bear.</p>


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<p>Erwin Recinos is a seasoned visual artist with an eye for capturing life as a working commuter aboard public transportation in and around Los Angeles. For 20 years now, Recinos has been documenting the urban landscape, street culture, and Hispanic communities of Los Angeles utilizing his daily routine and the city of Los Angeles as an inspiration. Recinos also works with popular food and event websites such as LATACO.com and Eater LA to capture the cuisine and culture that is so important to the city of Los Angeles and across Southern California.</p>
