Five Cinco de Mayo Facts To Help You Navigate The Day

Cinco de Mayo, or obviously, the fifth of May, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican Army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War.

That day was May 5, 1862 while this year it falls on Thursday, May 5 in 2022.

While it is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations. It has also been criticized as an appropriation of Mexican culture as many do not know the back story but just choose to eat tacos and drink Corona.

We, here at Rare.Us, want you to be ready to share your knowledge of the day with these five facts.


MAY 5 IS NOT MEXICO’S INDEPENDENCE DAY.

The date is still widely misunderstood as Mexico’s independence day, but Cinco de Mayo is actually a celebration of the surprising Mexican army’s victory over France at the 1862 Battle of Puebla.

CINCO DE MAYO ISN’T ALL THAT POPULAR IN MEXICO:

The holiday is primarily celebrated in Puebla, where the 1862 battle took place. There, locals gather for a big, colorful parade and reenact the war dressed as French and Mexican soldiers before breaking out in song and dance after the reenacted victory. But for many Mexicans, it’s just another day.

HOW DID THE HOLIDAY GETS SO POPULAR IN THE U.S?

The holiday’s popularity began as the unlikely Battle of Puebla Mexican victory reached California-based Latinos, many of whom were not only happy about Mexico’s victory, but had been rooting for Union forces in the Civil War at the same time. As California Latinos found out, they formed a network of patriotic organizations to raise money for the Mexican troops. But the party-filled Cinco de Mayo Americans celebrate today didn’t become popular until U.S. beer companies began targeting the Spanish-speaking population in the 1970s and 1980s, Alamillo said. Today, Cinco de Mayo in the U.S. is primarily a celebration of Mexican-American culture.

HOW MANY MEXICAN AMERICANS LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES?

According to the U.S. Census, the demographics of Hispanic and Latino Americans depict a population that is the second-largest ethnic group in the United States, 52 million people or 16.7% of the national population, of them, 47 million are American citizens.

HOW MANY AVOCADO’S WILL BE EATEN TODAY?

According to Forbes, Americans eat 81 million pounds of avocados on Cinco de Mayo. This is great news for Mexico’s economy, considering 82 percent of America’s avocados come from Mexico.