Cinco de Mayo is a holiday known for its celebratory dances, colorful decorations, and foods rooted in traditional Mexican culture. The festive occasion is a celebration of a Mexican military victory that happened in 1862, and today it is popular in Mexico and the United States. Surprisingly, though, the holiday actually took shape in America, not Mexico.

A Brief History of Cinco de Mayo 

In 1861, Mexican President Benito Juárez announced a temporary moratorium on paying foreign debts. France, England, and Spain all sent military forces to Mexico, but while the English and Spanish soon withdrew, the French attempted to establish a monarchy in Mexico with Maximilian of Austria at the helm, in part to limit U.S. power over North America and to expand French influence in the region, particularly while the U.S. was weakened by the Civil War. 

On May 5, 1862, a group of outnumbered and less well-equipped Mexican forces consisting of between 2,000 and 5,000 men was able to defeat a 6,000-soldier French army sent by Napoleon III. The victory, which occurred under the leadership of Mexican general Ignacio Zaragoza, became known as the Battle of Puebla. While France still maintained some control over Mexico until 1867, this early triumph became a symbol of the nation’s battle against foreign powers, and greatly helped to bolster national morale. 

Why Cinco de Mayo Began in the U.S.

News of Mexico’s victory in the Battle of Puebla sparked widespread celebrations, and quickly reached Mexican-American immigrants living in California. There, organizers used the moment as a way to generate support for Mexican resistance to French rule.

“By the time [Latinos in California] heard about the news of the battle, they began to raise money for the Mexican troops, and they formed a really important network of patriotic organizations,” California State University Channel Islands professor José Alamillo said to Time. “By 1863, Mexican Americans in California were already commemorating the date, treating it as a political and cultural moment tied to resistance and democracy.”

At the time, many American citizens had deep ties to Mexico. The Mexican-American War, which lasted from 1846 to 1848, had resulted in Mexico ceding Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada, and Utah to the U.S., and everyone living there had the option to immediately receive U.S. citizenship. Also, the Texas Revolution helped lay the groundwork for Texas to become a U.S. state. instead of a part of Mexico. All this meant that many people living in America at the time of the Battle of Puebla had been Mexican quite recently, so it was natural for a Mexican victory to resonate strongly with Mexican-American citizens at the time.

One of the earliest documented Cinco de Mayo celebrations occurred in Los Angeles and San Francisco on May 27, 1863, when music and parades were held in honor of the victory. The festivities were moved to May 5 the next year. Over the subsequent century, the meaning of Cinco de Mayo evolved. In the 1960s, it took on new meaning as a celebration of Mexican culture, pride, and identity in the United States. 

Today, it remains more widely celebrated in the U.S. than in Mexico, though it is also popular in the Mexican state of Puebla, where the unlikely victory that inspired all the festivities originally occurred. Celebrations in the U.S. have also been heavily commercialized over the years, with the rise of drinks like margaritas (which were only invented in the 1940s) sometimes overshadowing the holiday’s political roots. 

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