There is a lot of confusion surrounding Cinco De Mayo and its true meaning, many people within the Hispanic and Latino community often get confused and think that it’s the Mexican Independence Day but fun fact, it’s not. 

Cinco De Mayo is actually the celebration of Mexico’s victory during the Battle of Puebla against France, on May 5th, 1862, which is also known as, “Battle of Puebla Day”. The battle happened in the first place because of Benito Juarez, the president of Mexico at the time, who stopped paying interest on the money he owed to several other countries, France included. This, of course, angered France, Britain, and Spain, so they sent naval forces to Veracruz, Mexico, demanding their repayment. Britain and Spain later negotiated with Mexico and decided to withdraw their forces, but France (ruled by Napoleon lll) decided to use this as an opportunity to take over Mexican territory, and of course, Mexico wouldn’t give up without a fight. 

This eventually led to a battle better known as, “The Battle of Puebla”, which resulted in a Mexican victory. Cinco de Mayo is typically confused with Mexican Independence Day, which is a really funny mistake because they’re two completely different holidays. 

Mexican Independence Day is actually the day in which Mexico finally gained their freedom and independence from the Spanish. Father Idalgo was a really important figure in Mexican Independence. The people living in Mexico, like the Mayas and Aztecs, were forced into slavery for around 300 years before Father Idalgo began a revolt which eventually leads to Mexico’s independence. Years after, he was executed for not following orders. 

People often confuse these two Holidays because here in the U.S, Mexican culture is not really represented, but Cinco de Mayo is one of the most known holidays in Mexican culture because a lot of people go out and about their day with Mexican flags in their cars which is hard to miss. Many people are actually not aware of these facts, so I strongly encourage you to take your time and inform yourself about these kinds of things.