As the start of May rolls around, many people in the U.S. celebrate Cinco De Mayo by attending festive events and consuming perhaps one too many tacos and margaritas. But what is Cinco De Mayo and how did the holiday get its footing in America?To know what Cinco de Mayo is, we must first understand Mexico’s history.
Mexico was once colonized by Spanish settlers until it gained independence on September 16th, 1821. Following Mexico’s divorce from Spanish rule, a new set of political discourse swept the land. The ruling class conservatives and liberals began to feud over who should control Mexico’s new government.
According to author Spencer Ellis, “the country worked to create a republic with elected representatives and a new constitution, but conservative Mexicans who wanted another monarchical government fought against the reforms that more liberal Mexicans wanted, such as a decrease in executive powers and a separation of Church and State.”
The dispute led to what is known as the Mexican Reform War, from 1857 to 1861. The war was deemed victorious for liberal forces and Benito Juarez was established as Mexico’s official president (to read more on the Mexican Reform War check out this article published by The University of Texas).
But matters didn’t settle from there. Unsatisfied with the new President and his regime, Mexican conservatives welcomed French forces into the Gulf of Mexico. The French invasion of 1861 (where Cinco De Mayo enters the chat) was an attempt for France to gain back the money that Mexico borrowed during the war and to expand colonial territory.
As Napoleon III and his troops marched into Mexico City to overthrow the capitol, Juarez’s army was significantly outnumbered, with the French army roughly doubling them in size.
Through either divine intervention or force of will, the Mexican Army managed to win a victorious and short-lived defeat over French invaders at the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862. Although the French would continue to pursue Mexico, Cinco de Mayo was established as an official holiday by President Juarez in order to motivate Mexican troops to keep fighting and to inspire citizens to contribute to the war effort. The French eventually surrendered in 1867.
So why do Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo today?
Even though the U.S. did not participate in the war against the Mexicans and the French, many Americans, especially those near the border, had close cultural ties to Mexico. The Mexican-American War had ended in 1848, meaning that many Americans during the time were once Mexican citizens or had relatives from Mexico.
During the Chicano Movement in the 1950s to 1970s, Cinco de Mayo had become a strong cultural and political symbol for Mexican Americans.
Like many holidays such as Easter and St. Patrick’s day, Cinco de Mayo has lost much of its original meaning and has been corporatized into a day for discounted tacos and Modelo happy hours. But for what it’s worth, I believe Cinco de Mayo is still a celebration of culture. America was built upon various different heritages and Cinco de Mayo is a way to recognize the successes and contributions of Mexicans and Mexican Americans.
