Cinco de Mayo 2024: What is Cinco de Mayo and why does the US celebrate? Here's what we know

Cinco de Mayo literally means “the fifth of May” in Spanish, and it lands on Sunday in 2024. It’s not just a day to party, though.

It commemorates a significant time in history for Mexico, as well as a civil rights movement in America.

What is Cinco de Mayo? Why do we celebrate? Here's what to know.

What is Cinco de Mayo?

This day is also known as Battle of Puebla Day. It celebrates the Mexican Army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, during the French-Mexican War, according to History.

Is Cinco de Mayo Mexican Independence Day?

It celebrates a pivotal point in the county's history, but Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexico’s Independence Day.

Mexico gained independence from Spanish rule in 1810, and its Independence Day is observed on September 16.

Cinco de Mayo celebrates the victory of the Battle of Puebla during the French-Mexican war that lasted between 1861 and 1867.

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What was the Battle of Puebla?

In 1861, Benito Juárez served his term as President of Mexico while the country drowned in debt after years of internal strife. It was his responsibility to fix those payments to European governments. But he put those repayments on hold due to lack of funds, according to the Library of Congress.

Upset and demanding repayment, Spain, France, and Britain sent naval forces to Mexico (the United States did not have involvement due to the Civil War).

After Juarez negotiated and explained that a war would further devastate Mexico’s economy, Spain and Britain pulled out after being promised repayment in the future.

However, France remained and attempted to colonize Mexico.

Ignacio Zaragoza, a Texas-born general, led the Mexican forces. Though their army lacked supplies, they managed to be much more strong-minded than the well-equipped French. France wrongly assumed the Mexicans would surrender. 

France eventually ran out of artillery and lost far more troops than Mexico, resulting in their withdrawal of forces from Puebla on May 5, 1862. A big part of this loss was due to a lack of aid and allyship from the Confederate states during the Civil War.

Though the French-Mexican war lasted until 1867, this day was considered a morale-booster for the Mexicans and has been celebrated ever since. 

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Why is Cinco de Mayo celebrated in America? 

Enjoying this history lesson? You might be surprised to hear this — Cinco de Mayo isn’t the biggest holiday in Mexico itself. But it is widely celebrated in Mexican-American culture.

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 — a social movement advocating for the better treatment and civil rights of all Mexicans in America — of the 1960s and 1970s.

The struggle of the Chicano movement is linked to Cinco de Mayo, as both celebrate the resistance to a foreign invader.

What is Cinco de Mayo?The holiday's origin and why it's celebrated in Mexico, US