The History of Cinco de Mayo and How It’s Celebrated (2024)

FAQs

The History of Cinco de Mayo and How It’s Celebrated? ›

Cinco de Mayo (pronounced [ˈsiŋko ðe ˈmaʝo] in Mexico, Spanish for "Fifth of May") is an annual celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza.

The celebration of Cinco de Mayo began as a form of resistance to the effects of the Mexican-American War in the late 19th century. The holiday gained popularity during the Chicano Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

On May 5, Cinco de Mayo, 1862, Zaragoza and a mere 2,000 Mexican troops met Lorencez's army in the battlefield. From dawn till dusk, guns blared. When the smoke of battle settled, 1,000 French soldiers were killed while fewer than 500 of Mexican soldiers lost their lives.

The victory of the Battle of Puebla is primarily celebrated in the city of Puebla, which largely recognizes the victory through military reenactments. For the rest of Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is not considered a national holiday, so businesses are still open and most people still go to work like any other day.

Why Is Cinco de Mayo celebrated? In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is not a celebration but a day of remembrance, commemorating Mexico's victory over the French during the 1862 Battle of Puebla.

The biggest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the US takes place in Los Angeles, California – their Fiesta Broadway is known for being the largest Cinco de Mayo event in the world.

The French intervention in Mexico, initially supported by the United Kingdom and Spain, was a consequence of Mexican President Benito Juárez's imposition of a two-year moratorium of loan-interest payments from July 1861 to French, British, and Spanish creditors.

Mexico during the French Intervention, 1862–1867

By the late 1850s, years of internal strife had left the young republic of Mexico fractured and deeply in debt to Europe. Seeing an opportunity to expand the French Empire in the New World, Napoleon III invaded Mexico in 1862.

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in the United States and Mexico, but it is a much more significant observance in the U.S. While there are Cinco De Mayo celebrations throughout Mexico, notably in the city of Puebla, the event doesn't compare to the celebrations of Día de la Independencia.

How do you respectfully celebrate Cinco de Mayo? ›

Respectful Ways to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

Be respectful of Mexican tradition and avoid anything that reinforces cultural stereotypes, like wearing costumes or using fake accents. Eating authentic Mexican food and listening to traditional Mexican music are great ways to celebrate.

The big picture: It is a bigger holiday in America than it is in Mexico. "Cinco de Mayo is a day to celebrate the resilience, culture, and heritage of generations of Mexican Americans," President Biden posted on X last year.

It's actually a celebration of a Mexican military victory over the French. As the legend goes, upon hearing the news of the victory, Mexican American mineral miners in Columbia, Calif., fired gun shots into the air, which some historians cite as the first Cinco de Mayo celebration.

On May 5, 1862, a poorly equipped mestizo and Zapotec force under the command of General Ignacio Zaragoza defeated French troops at the Battle of Puebla, southeast of Mexico City; about 1,000 French troops were killed.

Cinco de Mayo, which translates to "fifth of May" in Spanish, commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. "It's the French under Napoleon who sent their troops into Mexico," said Alexander Aviña, associate professor of history at Arizona State University.

1861-1867. The Second French intervention in Mexico began in December 1861, when Emperor Napoleon III invaded Mexico on the pretext that Mexico had refused to pay its foreign debt, though, in reality, the Emperor wanted to take advantage of the American Civil War to expand his empire in Latin-America.

The holiday's popularity began when the news of victory in the Battle of Puebla reached Latinos in California. As they found out, they formed organizations to raise money for Mexican troops. President Roosevelt also helped popularize Cinco de Mayo in America with the creation of the Good Neighbor Policy in 1933.

A decree issued by Benito Juárez established the major annual event cinco de mayo. Despite already having some collaborators, the French attributed their defeat at Puebla to a wider lack of Conservative Party support.

The distinction between these two festive occasions is definitive, yet the celebrations of both are equally joyful and hold enormous significance. Cinco de Mayo commemorates a historic victory for Mexican unity, while Day of the Dead is about the continuity of life and the remembrance of loved ones who have passed.