Cinco de Mayo marks historic Mexican victory, not independence

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:00]It's time now for our last call, but many celebrations are just getting started for Cinco de Mayo. Here in the US, the holiday is celebrated with margaritas, sombreros, and today adding a little extra cultural spice with a good old Taco Tuesday. But the true Cinco de Mayo commemorates a deeper, monumental chapter of Mexican history.

[00:00:22]And no, it is not the country's Independence Day, as many think. Here to break it all down for us is Associate Professor of History at Arizona State University, Alexander Avina. Alexander, thanks so much for joining us on ABC News Live.

[00:00:36]So, tell us >> Thank you so much. Absolutely. What is Cinco de Mayo actually celebrating?

[00:00:43]Well, I'm glad you started off by saying that it's not Mexico's Independence Day.

[00:00:47]So, that's really important thing to to get out of the way, but the actual Cinco de Mayo refers to a battle that the Mexican military fought on May 5th of 1862 outside the city of Puebla against a a force of French troops that had invaded the country earlier in late 1861.

[00:01:09]The French The French military ordered by then Emperor Napoleon uh under the second French empire was trying to reestablish an imperial control over Mexico in the 1860s. Um but outside the city of Puebla on May 5th, 1862, a poorly armed uh group of of Mexican patriotic soldiers won a great anti-imperialist military victory against the French.

[00:01:35]Uh but then a year later, the French returned with a much bigger army, and they ended up occupying Mexico for for a few years. And we're showing some video of some reenactments of of all that took place so many years ago. In what ways did all of this affect Mexican nationalism?

[00:01:54]It This Mexican nationalism in the 19th century was really influenced by by foreign intervention. First, the United States invasion in 1846, and then definitely the French intervention in the 1860s. So, in many ways, it was the invasion of the country by outside forces that helped stimulate a particular form of Mexican national identity that revolved around defense of the of the homeland. Now, the really interesting thing about this particular holiday or commemoration is that as early as 1862, a few days after the original battle, you had Mexican Americans in what is now northern California also celebrate the victory.

[00:02:29]So, one of the interesting things about Cinco de Mayo is that it helped spur over the course of decades over the course of a century the development of of a Mexican ethnic identity north of the US-Mexico border uh throughout the late 19th and and early 20th century. Uh you you you even had instances of Mexican-American volunteers who left what is now the United States to go fight with the their Mexican countrymen countryfolk in in Mexico against the French.

[00:02:58]Uh it is to my knowledge one of the first volunteers actually came from from my home region of central California from the city of San Luis Obispo. Uh so, it it for for more than a century, it has helped uh catalyze a Mexican-American ethnic identity through a variety of really interesting ways, including um you know, public celebrations throughout much of the United States.

[00:03:18]And the celebrations are quite different uh when when you look at how the US celebrates the day and in Mexico. Kind of walk us through that, how those celebrations are different.

[00:03:29]I mean, in Mexico, it's still it's it's more of a solemn celebration that involves these two fortresses outside of the this the city of Puebla. Um and it's remembered as this as this anti-imperialist military victory. In the US, over the in the last, let's say, two to three decades, it's become a much more commercialized um holiday that involves uh consumption.

[00:03:51]Um I think, let's say, about two to three decades ago, US businesses and companies realized the extent and the scale uh of of the Hispanic or the the Mexican-American community to market, um and they started using this holiday as a way to to sell their products, right?

[00:04:07]And to this day, it's become this this annual festivity of consumption of a variety of different ways. It's become kind of like a party atmosphere as well.

[00:04:16]But you still see it in in parts of the United States um a callback to to earlier celebrations of Cinco de Mayo that again speaks to the the the gradual development of a Mexican-American ethnic identity beginning in the late 19th century.

[00:04:29]Absolutely. It's certainly a holiday that is celebrated heavily here in the US, but actually symbolizes unity, resistance against foreign intervention.

[00:04:39]Thank you so much for breaking that down for us, a quick history lesson here on ABC News Live. Associate Professor at Arizona State, Alexander Avina, thank you so much.

[00:04:49]Thank you so much, Stephanie.