FactSentinel

Cinco de Mayo does not celebrate Mexican Independence Day. The holiday, observed on May 5, commemorates the Battle of Puebla in 1862, when Mexican forces under General Ignacio Zaragoza defeated a larger and better-equipped French army sent by Napoleon III. Mexico's independence from Spain is marked on September 16, the anniversary of the "Grito de Dolores," the call to arms issued by priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in 1810. That uprising began a long war of independence that ended in 1821.

The two events are separated by more than five decades and involved different opponents. The Battle of Puebla took place during the French intervention in Mexico, when France sought to install a government friendly to its interests. The Mexican victory was symbolically important, though it was not decisive, since French troops later captured Puebla and Mexico City and Maximilian I was installed as emperor. His rule ended in 1867. Cinco de Mayo is also not a major national holiday across Mexico. It is observed most prominently in the state of Puebla, while September 16 is a nationwide public holiday.

The confusion is common, largely because Cinco de Mayo is widely celebrated in the United States with parades, food, and festivals. Those festivities grew in popularity in the twentieth century, aided by Chicano activism and marketing campaigns, and they often present the date as a general celebration of Mexican culture, which has fueled the misconception.