Happy Cinco de Mayo!
The celebration commemorates the surprise victory of the Mexican Army over a superior
French colonialist army at the Battle of Puebla on this date in 1862. In
the U.S., today has historically been a celebration of Mexican-American
culture and the familial ties between our two countries. In fact, both its origin and current celebration center on this side of the border:
As the legend goes, upon hearing the news of the victory, Mexican American mineral miners in Columbia, Calif., fired gun shots into the air, which some historians cite as the first Cinco de Mayo celebration. Since then, Mexican Americans have used the day as an opportunity to honor their ethnic pride, said Alexander Aviña, associate professor of Latin American history at Arizona State University.
“To this day, we see the celebration of Cinco de Mayo occur in a much more widespread fashion in the U.S. than we even see in Mexico,” Aviña said.
Viva la amistad entre estados unidos y mexico! Salud!
(Image: Battle of Puebla / artist unknown)
