Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for “fifth of May”) is a Mexican civic holiday held on May 5 that commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at theBattle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. It is celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla and in the United States. While Cinco de Mayo sees limited significance in Mexico itself, the date is observed nationwide mostly in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. Mexicans and Latinos living in California during the American Civil War are credited with being the first to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the United States. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day, the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.
Feliz Cinco de Mayo! =)
