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I didn't realize how much this holiday was pushed in America, rather than in Mexico:
Often mistaken for Mexican Independence Day (that's Sept. 16), Cinco de Mayo commemorates the 1862 Battle of Puebla between the victorious ragtag army of largely Mexican Indian soldiers against the invading French forces of Napoleon III. Mexican Americans, during the Chicano Movement of the 1970s, adopted the holiday for its David vs. Goliath storyline as motivation for civil rights struggles in Texas and California.
Mexican Americans, during the Chicano Movement of the 1970s, adopted the holiday for its David vs. Goliath storyline as motivation for civil rights struggles in Texas and California.Cinco de Mayo was celebrated in the US, especially in Texas, long before the civil rights struggles of the 1970s.General Ignacio Zaragosa, who commanded the Mexican forces at the Battle of Puebla, was born in Texas when Texas was part of Mexico. Long before the 1970s Cinco de Mayo was celebrated in the Mexican State of Puebla, where it was fought, and in Texas due to the native son status of General Zaragosa.As Mexican-Americans living in Texas moved north, especially following WWII, they took the Cinco de Mayo celebrations with them. Cinco de Mayo was celebrated in many cities in the US with large Hispanic populations before the civil rights struggles of the 1970s.
