3 Surprising Cinco De Mayo Facts!

3 Surprising Cinco De Mayo Facts!

 Cinco de Mayo has come to represent a celebration of the contributions that Mexican Americans and all Hispanics have made to America. –Joe Baca

Here are some surprising facts I bet you didn’t know about today’s celebration, by  from Latin Times, who writes:

1. It is not the Mexican Independence Day. Cinco de Mayo is mistaken to be the Mexican independence day, but it’s not. In fact, it’s almost 50 years after the original Cinco de Mayo. The real Mexican Independence Day is Sept. 16, 1810.

2. It celebrates the victory over the French. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the day (May 5, 1862) when an outnumbered Mexican army of 4,500 Mexican troops defeated the well-equipped French forces at the battle of Puebla. This prevented the French army invading Mexico.

3. Mexican Holiday or Marketing Magic? The holiday Cinco de Mayo may not have been made by Hallmark, but that doesn’t mean it’s real either. It became popular in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s by Chicano activists. The activists reportedly identified with the victory of the Mexican Indian and mestizo peoples triumph over European conquest.

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