Buzz
Many Americans view Cinco de Mayo as the ideal occasion to indulge in drinks with friends and savor some tacos. For many of us, this is just as good a reason to celebrate as any other long weekend or holiday, whether it’s July 4th, St. Patrick's Day, or any other excuse for some fun. With warm weather and the company of friends, it’s easy to find joy during these spring and summer celebrations!
However, Cinco de Mayo has far more depth than simply being a reason to party. It holds significant historical importance, which is often overlooked amidst the festivities. In this article, we’ll highlight ten intriguing facts about Cinco de Mayo, which go beyond the usual perceptions. These insights emphasize the day’s serious and somber significance for Mexico and its people. Let’s take a closer look!
10. Defeating the French
You might think that the Mexicans were battling the Americans during the events leading up to Cinco de Mayo, especially considering the two countries’ war in the 1840s, but that assumption would be incorrect. In fact, the battle was against the French! In 1861, after Mexico announced it would cease paying its foreign debts, French, Spanish, and English forces invaded the country. While the English and Spanish withdrew by the spring of 1862, the French remained, leading to the famous confrontation.
Wealthy Mexican landowners were in favor of the French staying to fight, as they hoped to help establish a monarchy in Mexico with Maximilian of Austria taking the throne. The French, for their part, saw this as a chance to challenge the growing power of the United States in North America. At that time, with the U.S. embroiled in its Civil War, France believed this monarchy could be the key to success.
By early May, the French forces, led by General Charles Latrille de Lorencez, were advancing toward Mexico City with over 6,000 troops. As they passed through Puebla, they encountered a much smaller Mexican contingent. Under General Ignacio Zaragoza, fewer than 2,000 Mexican soldiers made a brave stand against the French at what would later be known as the Battle of Puebla.
And they succeeded! With leadership from Mexican President Benito Juarez, these 2,000 men performed a remarkable feat by fending off the French on May 5, 1862. This victory, against all odds, became the foundation for a holiday that is celebrated to this day…
9. It Took Some Time for Its Significance to Be Recognized
Zaragoza's victory at Puebla, where 2,000 Mexican troops defeated an army more than three times their size, was undeniably important to the soldiers who fought bravely. However, at the time, it wasn’t viewed as a crucial moment in the broader conflict with France. Many other Mexican military leaders didn’t place much strategic value on it, seeing it more as a morale-boosting win for their side.
The French were advancing with such intensity that President Juarez and his team had countless urgent matters to handle, leaving no time to dwell on any single victory. In fact, the French didn’t view their loss at Puebla as a major setback. It was far from crippling, especially when considering the French military superiority over the mostly indigenous Mexican peasants who were fighting. The French wouldn’t even leave Mexico for another five years!
If Puebla marked the beginning of the end for French ambitions in North America, that end certainly took a long time to arrive. The French didn’t pay much attention to Puebla after the battle. Instead, they continued fighting on other fronts. It wasn’t until several years later that Mexicans began to look back proudly at the events of Puebla, commemorating the day the battle had begun!
8. The Withdrawal of France
As previously mentioned, it took the French quite some time to finally abandon their monarchist ambitions in Mexico. Their intervention coincided with the start of the American Civil War in 1861, which was fortuitous timing for them. The United States was preoccupied with internal issues and lacked the resources to support Mexico during this period.
President Abraham Lincoln and his successors were not thrilled with France’s deep involvement in North American affairs—especially their attempts to overthrow the Mexican government and replace it with a puppet regime. However, there wasn’t much the U.S. could do while embroiled in its own Civil War. As time went on, the situation unfolded... (Doesn't it always?)
By 1865, the American Civil War was nearing its end, and the French still had not managed to conquer Mexico and place Maximilian of Austria on the throne as their new monarch through military force. With the war in the U.S. winding down, the Americans were now able to shift their focus to their southern neighbor, and that's exactly what they did.
With the support of the United States in both logistics and military strategy, Mexico’s morale was reignited. Behind the scenes, the U.S. also began applying diplomatic pressure on France, urging them to leave Mexico for good. This combined effort bore fruit in 1867 when the French finally withdrew from the country permanently.
7. The Brutal End of Maximilian
Maximilian of Austria’s reign as Mexico’s so-called Emperor lasted a mere three years—and it was a turbulent period marked by intense resistance. After the French had been defeated in the Battle of Puebla, which would later give rise to Cinco de Mayo, Maximilian assumed the throne in 1864.
Napoleon III of France appointed the Austrian Archduke as Emperor of Mexico. However, there was a significant issue: the Mexican people absolutely rejected this foreign ruler. They fought relentlessly for years, and as we’ve already seen, the French were eventually forced to leave in 1867.
However, Maximilian did not share the same fate as the French. While the Mexicans were willing to allow the French to leave as long as they vowed never to return, Maximilian was not granted such a merciful exit. In June 1867, Mexican forces captured him and executed him near Cerro de las Campanas, just outside Querétaro. This act, they hoped, would serve as a clear warning to any future foreign would-be rulers: stay out of Mexico!
6. A Special Thanks to Los Angeles
As we’ve already seen, Cinco de Mayo did not initially spread across Mexico in the way one might expect. Although President Benito Juárez tried to make the 1862 Battle of Puebla a unifying event for the entire country, most Mexicans didn’t immediately connect with it. Or, more accurately, most Mexicans within Mexico.
However, Mexican Americans in the Los Angeles area, who had immigrated to the U.S., found both pride and motivation in the Battle of Puebla. It took some time for news to reach them, as communication back then was far slower than today. Nonetheless, it was the Mexican American community in Los Angeles that truly championed May 5th as a significant date.
This makes sense on a broader level. These Mexican immigrants were far removed from their homeland in Puebla, Mexico City, and other towns hundreds of miles south. They longed for their culture and communities and were deeply concerned about the French threat to their country. The Battle of Puebla represented a crucial turning point for them.
After reading about the events in Spanish-language newspapers months after they occurred, Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles quickly mobilized by establishing political groups and organizing rallies for their cause. They raised significant funds, sending it back to Mexico with the clear intention that President Juárez use it to fight the French. Without the efforts of Los Angeles's relatively small Mexican community, Cinco de Mayo might not have become the recognized celebration it is today.
5. Not a National Holiday
In contemporary times, Mexicans typically observe Cinco de Mayo with political speeches and words of historical inspiration. Parades and marches are common in certain regions of the country, and occasionally, history enthusiasts will stage reenactments of the Battle of Puebla to honor those who fought.
Interestingly, however, all of this is mostly limited to Puebla. Outside of this mountainous state, Cinco de Mayo does not receive much attention in the rest of Mexico. Unlike major holidays like the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, or Labor Day in the United States, Mexico doesn’t shut down for Cinco de Mayo.
Banks, stores, and offices remain open, as they would on any other day of the year. It is not a federal holiday, and since most of Mexico's states don't observe it except for those in Puebla, the historic day isn't seen as particularly significant across the entire nation.
While it’s become a widely recognized holiday for revelry in the U.S., especially among Mexican-Americans, Cinco de Mayo remains a fairly ordinary day in Mexico. Despite the American enthusiasm for the celebration, the day is generally just another to get through south of the border, far from the frenzy seen elsewhere.
4. Transformed into a Larger Celebration in the U.S.
Though Cinco de Mayo isn't particularly significant in Mexico, it has become a prominent holiday in the United States. While it's often used as an excuse for festivities involving beer, the deeper significance lies in how Mexican-American immigrants, along with their children and grandchildren, have embraced it as a way to honor their heritage and maintain a connection to their Mexican roots.
This didn’t come about by chance. In the early 20th century, Mexican immigrants in the U.S. faced alienation due to language barriers and their distinct cultural identity. In the 1950s and 1960s, Chicano activists recognized this as a critical issue and advocated for symbols that could promote their cultural pride. Cinco de Mayo emerged as the ideal choice.
Cinco de Mayo soon became a proud celebration of an event that was both significant and inspiring for Mexico. The roots of the holiday’s festivity can actually be traced back to Los Angeles nearly a century earlier. Chicano activists in the Southwest pushed for greater awareness of the holiday during the civil rights movements of the 1960s, making it the event we recognize today. And, as they say, the rest is history.
3. Used for Political Gain
At this point, it’s clear that Cinco de Mayo is more of a celebration for Mexican-Americans (or, perhaps, just Americans) than it is for Mexico itself. From its origins to its current state, Cinco de Mayo has become a far bigger event in the United States than in Mexico. U.S. politicians have certainly taken note of this phenomenon.
Over time, especially in recent decades, American politicians have strategically engaged with the Latino community during Cinco de Mayo, using the holiday as a means of building rapport. These efforts have spanned across political parties, indicating a shared interest in courting the Latino vote.
During his presidency, George W. Bush used Cinco de Mayo as a platform to advocate for immigration reform for migrants from Spanish-speaking nations in Central and South America. Later, Barack Obama also promoted immigration reform on Cinco de Mayo by hosting Mexican-American and Latino celebrities at the White House, along with Mexican embassy representatives and other political figures.
Not to be left behind, Donald Trump had Vice President Mike Pence lead the official White House Cinco de Mayo celebration in 2017, and continued the tradition thereafter. It’s no surprise; Cinco de Mayo has long been embraced by American cultural and economic interests, so it was only a matter of time before it became a tool in the political arena too.
2. Beer, Beer, Beer!
Despite the tireless efforts of Chicano activists throughout the 1960s and beyond to raise awareness of Cinco de Mayo in the American Southwest, the holiday remained largely unnoticed. It was mainly observed by Mexican-Americans as a way to honor their heritage, but it didn't have the widespread celebration it enjoys today. For decades, it remained a subdued occasion until the 1980s.
In the 1980s, beer companies seized on Cinco de Mayo as an opportunity to transform it from a quiet cultural observance to a lively, raucous American party full of beer. Major beer corporations like Anheuser-Busch and Miller began targeting the Hispanic market, hoping to tap into this growing consumer base.
Aware of the rapidly growing Hispanic population in the U.S., beer companies saw an opportunity and decided to celebrate some widely recognized elements of Hispanic culture—Cinco de Mayo was the perfect candidate. This shift helped propel the holiday into mainstream American culture.
Through strategic marketing campaigns in the 1980s, beer brands like Corona became linked not only with Mexican and Mexican-American culture but also with Cinco de Mayo itself. These campaigns were a success, with beer companies continuing to report strong sales leading up to May 5th every year. As a result, many Americans—whether of Mexican descent or not—celebrate the day by eating, drinking, and having fun. If only General Zaragoza could witness the festivities now…
1. Don’t Get It Confused, Though
By now, you should be clear that the Battle of Puebla in 1862 was not a fight for Mexican independence—it had already been achieved decades earlier, in 1810. Although Cinco de Mayo has become the most Americanized and widely celebrated Mexican holiday, it isn't connected to Mexico's true Independence Day, which takes place on a completely different date and commemorates an entirely different event.
Mexican Independence Day is observed annually on September 16, and unlike Cinco de Mayo, it is a national holiday celebrated throughout the country. On this day, Mexican citizens across the nation honor the Grito de Dolores, which occurred in Dolores Hidalgo, Mexico, in 1810.
In 1810, Mexican rebels rose up to challenge the oppressive Spanish colonial rule. On September 16 of that year, revolutionary leader and priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costillas famously cried out the 'Grito de Dolores,' rallying the people for Mexico’s independence. The struggle was fierce, but Mexico triumphed. Over two centuries later, the nation continues to commemorate Hidalgo and the pivotal battle for freedom.
