Happy Cinco de Mayo 2022!

What is Cinco de Mayo and why is it celebrated?

Not long after defeating the Spaniards in 1821 and losing the Mexican-American War in 1848, Mexico found itself in another conflict with France. 

French Emperor Napoleon III wanted to claim Mexican territory for himself, sending his troops to force Mexico’s President Benito Juárez and the government out of Veracruz.

On May 5, 1862, in Puebla de Los Angeles, a small town in east-central Mexico, 6,000 French troops faced 2,000 Mexican soldiers at daybreak. By the evening, Mexico had claimed victory.

Days later Juárez declared May 5 a national holiday.

Vásquez said what made the victory so significant was it started the push to get France out of the country at a time when the country was “economically vulnerable” and “beleaguered.”

“It’s important for people to understand that this is a day when Mexican people can celebrate with peoples of all different ethnicities the importance of history, of heritage, of culture and that we all have a place in the society.”

Look out for the sombreros, margaritas and everyone saying “gracias” at your local Mexican restaurant on May 5, Cinco de Mayo, when many celebrate the “biggest Mexican holiday of the year.”

Quoted from:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/05/04/cinco-de-mayo-2022-mexico-us-holiday/7403350001/