Why is Cinco De Mayo Celebrated?
Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday, which is celebrated widely across the United States; even though a great many Americans mark this day every year with parades, parties, and other events, many of us do not know all that much about Cinco de Mayo other than that we love to celebrate this holiday.
So why is Cinco de Mayo celebrated both here in the US and in Mexico? Keep reading to find out the answers to both of these questions.
In Mexico, the fifth of May (which is literally, what Cinco de Mayo means in Spanish) is a celebration of the Mexican victory over the French in the 1862 Battle of Puebla.
It's not Mexican Independence Day, despite what a lot of people seem to think; Mexico's Independence Day is actually September 16th and the country declared its independence from Spain all the way back in 1810, more than half a century before the events of Cinco de Mayo.
Napoleon III of France had decided to conquer the young nation and install the Hapsburg prince Maximilian as a puppet ruler of Mexico and invaded under the pretext of settling debt repayment arrangements with Benito Juarez, the president of Mexico at the time.
The Battle of Puebla was one of the first major battles of what would become a full scale war between the two countries which would continue for another five years before Mexico was able to send the French packing.
The battle was won by Mexican troops under the command of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza, despite the odds being heavily stacked in favor of the French, whose well trained, professional troops outnumbered the Mexicans by nearly two to one.
The victory was an inspiration to people across the country to resist the foreign invasion and the rest, as they say, was history.
However, the holiday never really caught on as a major national holiday in Mexico and Cinco de Mayo is largely celebrated in Puebla and Mexico City.
That is the answer to why Cinco de Mayo is a holiday in Mexico; but why is Cinco de Mayo celebrated in the United States as well? In part, it is because of the close historic, cultural, and geographic ties of our two nations - the war between Mexico and France occurred at the same time as our own Civil War was going on and France was unable to help the southern states with whom they had an alliance at the time.
The Franco-Mexican War definitely had an impact on our own history.
The other reason we celebrate this holiday is that it has become a day to celebrate the US Latino community and the contributions they have made to our own cultural heritage.
Regardless of why you celebrate Cinco de Mayo, it is always a festive occasion, which people from all walks of life enjoy thoroughly.
So why is Cinco de Mayo celebrated both here in the US and in Mexico? Keep reading to find out the answers to both of these questions.
In Mexico, the fifth of May (which is literally, what Cinco de Mayo means in Spanish) is a celebration of the Mexican victory over the French in the 1862 Battle of Puebla.
It's not Mexican Independence Day, despite what a lot of people seem to think; Mexico's Independence Day is actually September 16th and the country declared its independence from Spain all the way back in 1810, more than half a century before the events of Cinco de Mayo.
Napoleon III of France had decided to conquer the young nation and install the Hapsburg prince Maximilian as a puppet ruler of Mexico and invaded under the pretext of settling debt repayment arrangements with Benito Juarez, the president of Mexico at the time.
The Battle of Puebla was one of the first major battles of what would become a full scale war between the two countries which would continue for another five years before Mexico was able to send the French packing.
The battle was won by Mexican troops under the command of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza, despite the odds being heavily stacked in favor of the French, whose well trained, professional troops outnumbered the Mexicans by nearly two to one.
The victory was an inspiration to people across the country to resist the foreign invasion and the rest, as they say, was history.
However, the holiday never really caught on as a major national holiday in Mexico and Cinco de Mayo is largely celebrated in Puebla and Mexico City.
That is the answer to why Cinco de Mayo is a holiday in Mexico; but why is Cinco de Mayo celebrated in the United States as well? In part, it is because of the close historic, cultural, and geographic ties of our two nations - the war between Mexico and France occurred at the same time as our own Civil War was going on and France was unable to help the southern states with whom they had an alliance at the time.
The Franco-Mexican War definitely had an impact on our own history.
The other reason we celebrate this holiday is that it has become a day to celebrate the US Latino community and the contributions they have made to our own cultural heritage.
Regardless of why you celebrate Cinco de Mayo, it is always a festive occasion, which people from all walks of life enjoy thoroughly.
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