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May 5, 2020 · The real meaning behind Cinco de Mayo. According to a 2019 poll by Avocados for Mexico, only 22 percent of Americans know the real reason we celebrate May 5. Many people believe the day marks...
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- Dillon Thompson
May 4, 2023 · So why are so many Americans still confused? Part of the confusion among many Americans about what Cinco de Mayo celebrates is likely because it's much catchier-sounding and...
For most Americans, Cinco de Mayo means an excuse to drink tequila, eat Mexican food, and party hard. Turns out in Mexico, though, the holiday isn't nearly as big a cause for...
May 2, 2024 · The true meaning of Cinco de Mayo — a holiday best known as an excuse to drink margaritas, eat tacos and celebrate Mexican Independence Day — couldn’t be farther from the stereotypes.
- Cinco de Mayo History
- The Battle of Puebla
- How Long Did The Battle of Puebla Last?
- Cinco de Mayo in Mexico
- Why Do We Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in The United States?
- Confusion with Mexican Independence Day
Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day, a popular misconception. Instead, it commemorates a single battle. In 1861, Benito Juárez—a lawyer and member of the Indigenous Zapotec tribe—was elected president of Mexico. At the time, the country was in financial ruin after years of internal strife, and the new president was forced to default on de...
Certain that success would come swiftly, 6,000 French troops under General Charles Latrille de Lorencez set out to attack Puebla de Los Angeles, a small town in east-central Mexico. From his new headquarters in the north, Juárez rounded up a ragtag force of 2,000 loyal men—many of them either Indigenous Mexicans or of mixed ancestry—and sent them t...
The battle lasted from daybreak to early evening, and when the French finally retreated they had lost nearly 500 soldiers. Fewer than 100 Mexicans had been killed in the clash. Although not a major strategic win in the overall war against the French, Zaragoza’s success at the Battle of Puebla on May 5 represented a great symbolic victory for the Me...
Within Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is primarily observed in the state of Puebla, where Zaragoza’s unlikely victory occurred, although other parts of the country also take part in the celebration. Traditions include military parades, recreations of the Battle of Puebla and other festive events. For many Mexicans, however, May 5 is a day like any other: It...
In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is widely interpreted as a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with substantial Mexican-American populations. Chicano activists raised awarenessof the holiday in the 1960s, in part because they identified with the victory of Indigenous Mexicans (such as Juárez) over European invader...
Many people outside Mexico mistakenly believe that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican independence, which was declared more than 50 years before the Battle of Puebla. Independence Day in Mexico (Día de la Independencia) is commemorated on September 16, the anniversary of the revolutionary priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla’s famous “Grito de D...
Sep 26, 2024 · However, many people are surprised to learn that Cinco de Mayo is not widely celebrated in Mexico, apart from some specific regions, and is often confused with Mexican Independence Day (which actually falls on September 16).
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May 5, 2020 · Many Americans assume Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day. It’s not. That holiday falls on September 16 and commemorates the Grito de Dolores, a priest’s ringing of a church bell in...
