CityVille: Say Hola to new Cinco de Mayo decorations

In addition to the Cinco de Mayo quests that were released in CityVille this week, you can also pick up a few new (and exclusive) decorations and Businesses from the game's store. In addition to the Taqueria business that you must place to complete one of the Cinco de Mayo goals, you can also unlock the Taco Truck from completing those quests. The Taco Truck needs just 50 Goods to operate, and will reward you with 180 coins each time you collect from it.

As for the other goodies, there are five new decorative items available. One, the Mariachi Band (4% payout bonus), is another quest reward item, while an Artisan Kiosk, Pinata Party, and Mexican Street Flag can be purchased in the store. The Pinata Party item is the most expensive, at 20 City Cash, but it also adds a 6% boost to surrounding items. Meanwhile, the Artisan Kiosk costs 400 coins and offers a 4% bonus, while the Mexican Street Flag costs just 200 coins and offers only a 1% bonus.

Finally, the last new item is the Mexican Lamp (shaped like a cactus holding maracas - too cute!), which can only be earned by turning in the new Mariachi Collection. Of course, the five collectibles are found through collecting from the Taqueria and Taco Truck, so make sure to do so more often than not to have the quickest chance of adding this adorable lamp to your game.

While no specific expiration date was given to these items in the store (as of this writing), we do know they are limited edition, so shop fast if you want to make sure you can add them to your city before they leave.

CityVille: Create a dish for Cinco de Mayo and win 250 City Cash

What I'm about to say may sound a bit off, but Zynga is now throwing a cooking contest in CityVille. Yes, a cooking contest would probably be more suited to Cafe World, but Zynga's throwing it here in the big city anyway. The contest, specifically, is called the Cinco de Mayo Cooking School Celebration, and it asks creative chefs (of any skill set) to create a dish based on festive Mexican flavors.

While simply creating the recipe on paper is one thing, to win this contest, you must physically prepare the dish in the real world and take a picture of it for your entry to count. You must also include a brief description of your dish. Once the entry period is over (on May 10), the CityVille team will select their top ten choices, which will then be voted on by CityVille forum members. The top three entries will win 250, 125, and 75 City Cash each, respectively.

Taking a page from Iron Chef, this contest will just each dish on originality, visual appeal, and how well it fits the overall theme. Put your thinking caps on (or perhaps just your chef's hat) and jump into the kitchen for your chance to win! Good luck!