Marcos Mora on Casa de la Cultura and Cinco De Mayo 2025

Episode 200


Marcos Eduardo Mora Barrientos is the executive director of Casa
de la Cultura, the organization behind Omaha’s annual Cinco de
Mayo celebration.


Mora was born in Los Angeles and raised in Omaha, where his
family has lived for nearly a century after his grandfather,
Vidal Barrientos, migrated from Mexico in the 1920s. La familia
Barrientos has been known for its musicianship in South Omaha
ever since, and Mora is no exception. He plays guitar in three
bands.


As executive director of Casa de la Cultura, Mora will oversee
Omaha’s 105th Cinco de Mayo next year. The annual celebration
attracts more than 200,000 visitors for three days of food and
music honoring Omaha’s Mexican heritage.


Mora is also founder and executive director for the Barrientos
Scholarship Foundation and part of the Nebraska Realty group. In
this conversation, he's in conversation with Michael Griffin
about balancing his many responsibilities, how to achieve equity
in local art and music, and his vision for next year’s Cinco de
Mayo.


Originally aired 7-15-24