Cinco De Mayo falls on May 5 every year as Cinco De Mayo means the 5th of May in Spanish! Did you know that Cinco de Mayo celebration is also known as the Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla? Not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day, which actually falls on September 16!
Let's learn more about Cinco De Mayo!
Cinco De Mayo celebration often gets confused with Mexican Independence Day, but it's actually a different thing altogether. Cinco commemorates a significant battle during the Franco-Mexican War that took place in the city of Puebla. The Mexican army overtook the French and came out with a victory! During the battle, the Mexican army beat the odds as they were outnumbered and lacked supplies. They had as few as 2,000 soldiers against a much larger force of 6,000 French. Ignacio Zaragoza was the Mexican general who led the army during the May 5th battle in 1862. He was only 33 years old. The town of Puebla was renamed Puebla de Zaragoza to honor him. A few weeks after the battle, Americans and Latinos in California found out about the courageous efforts of the Mexican soldiers through newspapers. Residents were excited and celebrated with parades of people dressed in Civil War uniforms. One Northern California town partied with drinks and food - an event now thought to be the first Cinco De Mayo fiesta in the United States! Although Cinco de Mayo is not a national holiday in Mexico, kids still get the day off from school.
Feliz Cinco de Mayo! Enjoy this Cinco de Mayo coloring page featuring you favorite world traveler, Womple!
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