It’s not just about the margaritas.
Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo as a big drinking day, but in fact the Mexican festivities were born out of the chaos of the 1860s in the Americas. Here’s a look at a little bit about the holiday’s background.
What is Cinco de Mayo?
It’s a holiday that recognizes the Mexican victory over France in the Battle of Puebla, which was part of the Franco-Mexican War in the 1860s.
Is it Mexican Independence Day?
NO. Although Americans sometimes seem to think it is, Mexican Independence Day is actually celebrated on September 16 and started being celebrated more than 50 years before the Battle of Puebla.
So when exactly did Cinco de Mayo start?
The Battle of Puebla went down in 1862, after France invaded Mexico the year before. The Mexican president, Benito Juárez, ascended to the highest office in the land — of a country in financial freefall, according to The History Channel.
Juárez defaulted on European loans — so France, Spain and Britain all sent troops across the ocean to demand payment. Britain and Spain got everything worked out with Mexico, but France didn’t. Napoleon III decided to take the opportunity to build his empire and sent men to invade Veracruz in 1861, kicking off the Franco-Mexican War.
Although the French general sent 6,000 men to attack Puebla de Los Angeles, Texas-born Mexican General Zaragoza led 2,000 Mexican in defending their town. When the French struck on May 5, 1862, the Mexicans were ready.
By the end of the day, the French retreated after losing close to 500 soldiers. There were fewer than 100 dead on the Mexican side. Later, the town was renamed as Puebla de Zaragoza in honor of the man who led the brave fighting force to victory.
Sadly, Zaragoza got typhoid and died and the French captured Puebla about a year later.
So how did the whole war end anyway?
The Cinco de Mayo win was an exciting victory, but strategically it wasn’t super-important in the outcome of the war. What had a bigger affect on the war was the American Civil War just to the north.
Americans were tied up in the deeply divisive and fatal war until 1865, but as the country pulled its head out of the war fog, they were finally able to offer enough political pressure — backed by the threat of military aid to Mexico — to help get the French to leave in 1867.
If it’s a Mexican holiday, is Cinco de Mayo a big deal in Mexico?
Not really. In Puebla, there are parades and reenactments of the 1862 battle, but elsewhere in Mexico it doesn’t attract quite as much attention, according to Brittanica. Although there are some festivities, it’s not a federal holiday.
How did it become so popular in the U.S.?
From the start, American Latinos were excited about the Cinco de Mayo victory, according to TIME.
At the time of the Civil War, California was a free state with many Mexican immigrants — but France supported the Confederacy. Thus, Mexicans living in California were thrilled when they heard about the Pueblans’ victory in spite of the odds.
The good news of the big win energized Hispanic Californians, who started raising money to support Mexican troops
“They formed a really important network of patriotic organizations,” Jose Alamillo, a professor of Chicano studies at California State University Channel Islands, told TIME.
“They had to kind of make the case for fighting for freedom and democracy and they were able to link the struggle of Mexico to the struggle of the Civil War, so there were simultaneous fights for democracy.”
It wasn’t until over 100 years later that the holiday turned into a big party day — and that was mainly because of American beer companies looking for ways to market to Spanish speakers.
