Cinco De Mayo, a day of celebration and party for the Latino community, right? Well not so much. Cinco De Mayo is important to Mexico’s history, but in reality it is not a holiday that is celebrated much in Mexico, only in Puebla. And why is that? In order to answer such question there must be a brief history lesson.

Let’s go back in time to late 1861. Mexico, at this time, was fighting the French in the Franco-Mexican War, a war that began through financial debt. The president at the time was Benito Juárez, a Mexican liberal that took over an already poor country. Juárez had already renegotiated with Spain and Britain, but France, ruled by Napoleon III, had refused and set out to take a part of Mexico for their own, their destination was Veracruz.
This unexpected attack on Mexico’s territory had pushed Juárez back. The French continued to march forward with 6,000 men towards their new destination, Puebla. Benito Juárez heard about the French moving into Puebla and rallied together 4,500 men of his own. These men were made up of mostly indigenous people and these Mexican soldiers were not equipped with the multitude of arms that France had, which makes the Battle of Puebla much more significant. Mexico was outnumbered 2 to 1, it was very unlikely that Mexico would win, more so being armed with few guns and mostly machetes.
On May 5, 1862, French General Charles de Lorencez and his troops had entered Puebla through the north side, already armed and ready to attack. Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza and his 4,500 men were already waiting between two hills. General Lorencez attacked first, but was shocked to see the strength that the Mexican army had. France was pushed back until the battle turned to hand to hand combat. This battle, lasting the whole day, became extremely bloody and brutal.
Once France realized that the Mexican troops were advancing, General Lorencez had no choice but to back down and retreat. Out of the lives lost, there were 462 French casualties, while Mexico only had 83 of their men dead. A shocking and rallying win for the Mexican troops and people. The Battle of Puebla was a patriotic awakening and an inspiring battle. It gave hope to the Mexican people at that time and restored a sense of pride within Mexico.
Now, back to the question, why isn’t Cinco de Mayo celebrated all throughout Mexico? This is because, even though the Battle of Puebla created an impact for the Mexican people, it wasn’t as strong as Mexican Independance Day that is celebrated September 16. The French still came back and they won the second battle, staying in government from 1863 till 1866. For a lot of Mexicans, Cinco de Mayo is just another day, many acknowledge it and are proud, but that’s it. As for why the U.S celebrates it more than Mexicans, well that is because Mexican – Americans/Chicanos in the 1960s wanted to recognize the indigenous people that had fought in this battle. So parties and festivals were created, containing traditional Mexican dances, food, Mariachi, and reenactments of the battle. These festivals were then popularized and sponsored by American beer companies and food companies turning this day more as a day of party, rather than a day of recognition.
So the next time you think about Cinco de Mayo, think about its significance, but also its meaning here in American culture.