SAN DIEGO — Every year thousands of Americans crowd into their favorite bars and restaurants for Cinco de Mayo. Many use it as the perfect excuse to go out for a drink or favorite Mexican meal, but the majority don’t know the real history behind Cinco de Mayo.
“It’s not Cinco de drinko, that’s off the table and it’s also not Mexican Independence Day," said Gerardo Rios, a professor of Mexican American studies and history at Southwestern College.
Rios explains why the fifth of May is an important date in Mexican history.
“What Cinco de Mayo celebrates is the Mexican liberal victory over the French forces that had invaded Mexico," said Rios.
In 1862, a powerful French army led by Napoleon III was sent to invade the country, and even though they outnumbered the Mexican army, they were met with a strong resistance in the Mexican state of Puebla.
“Cinco de Mayo represents one of those historical episodes where the little guy beats the big guy, right? Where the little people were the oppressed beat the great imperial power," adds Rios.
The battle was seen as a great victory for Mexico.
“It's akin to David versus Goliath Story, right? And it literally makes the impossible possible," said Rios.
Even though the Battle of Puebla was seen as a major victory, the French would ultimately go on to win the war.
Now, many in the U.S. spend the day celebrating the holiday with food and drinks.
Rios says the date is not a widely celebrated event throughout Mexico, but it is in Puebla, where the day is filled with military parades, recreations of the battle, music and more.
“They do a reenactment of the Battle of Puebla and then they do a reenactment the native people that actually participated in,” he added.
Although it is a significant date in Mexican history, it’s not to be confused with the Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 16.
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