Cinco de Mayo – I Never Knew…

Today being May 5th, Cinco de Mayo, I thought I’d read up on the exact history of what I assumed was an important date in Mexican history. I had always thought that this was Mexican Independence Day but that day is, in fact, September 16th – the day is known as Grito de Dolores (Cry of Dolores) and signals only the beginning of Mexico’s fight for independence starting in 1810 when a priest in Dolores, Mexico called on his congregation to rise up against Spanish rule. Actual independence from Spain only came 11 years later after a decade of war.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory over the French, not the Spanish, in the Battle of Puebla in 1862, nearly 50 years after Mexican independence. The hero of  the battle, General Ignacio Zaragosa, was actually born in what is now Texas, another indication of the shared cultural history between Mexico and the US Southwest. And this Mexican victory actually had an impact in the outcome of the US Civil War as the French were supporters of the Confederacy. In fact, Cinco de Mayo is much bigger holiday here in the US than it actually is in Mexico where it is more of a minor holiday.  It’s popularity today was largely driven by the alcohol and restaurant industry in an attempt to reach the growing Hispanic market in the 1980s and 1990s. You can read more about this holiday’s interesting history here.