Misconception: Cinco De Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day. Fact: Mexican Independence is commemorated on September 16, when the revolutionary Priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla lead a call to arms that amounted to a declaration of war against the Spanish colonial government in (~50 years before Cinco de Mayo)

El Cinco de Mayo, “The Fifth of May”, is a celebration in areas of Mexico, commemorating the victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza over French Expeditionary forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Cinco De Mayo: To force payment for Mexico’s outstanding debt, Britain, Spain & France sent troops to Mexico. Mexico’s democratically elected President Benito Juárez made agreements with the British and the Spanish, who promptly recalled their armies, but the French stayed. Emperor Napoleon III wanted to secure French dominance in Mexico and install one of his relatives, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, as ruler of Mexico. Confident of a quick victory, 6,500 French soldiers marched on to Mexico City, encountering stiff resistance along the way, before Zaragoza struck out to intercept the French invaders.

On May 5, 1862, Zaragoza's militia were ill-equipped and outnumbered, but were able to prevent French dragoons from taking the field and overwhelming the Mexican infantry. Utilizing the inhospitable terrain and a stampede of cattle set off by local peasants, the Mexicans stopped the French invasion that day. The French Emperor, upon learning of the failed invasion, immediately dispatched another 30,000 soldiers. By 1864, the French succeeded in defeating the Mexican army and occupying Mexico City. Archduke Maximillian became Emperor of Mexico.

Maximilian's rule was short-lived. Mexican rebels opposed to his rule resisted, seeking the aid of the United States. Once the American Civil War was over, the U.S. military began supplying Mexicans with weapons and ammunition. By 1867, the rebels finally defeated the French and deposed their puppet Emperor.

Other Days to celebrate this month… 1 st …Lei Day & May Day 2 nd …Holocaust Remembrance Day & National Truffles Day 4 th …Star Wars Day & National Weather Observers’ Day 12 th …Mother’s Day 15 th …National Chocolate Chip Day 20 th …First photo sent from Hubble telescope in th …First Morse Code Message sent from Washington DC to Baltimore in 1844 May 30 th …Memorial Day (observed on the 27 th this year) May is… Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Asthma & Allergy Awareness Month (how appropriate) National Bar-B-Que Month National Egg, Strawberry, Salad, and Hamburger Month Physical Fitness & Sports Month Weeks in May… Teacher Appreciation Week National Pet Week National Police Week National Bike Week National Safe Boating Week