The Cinco de Mayo celebration, May 5th in Spanish, is not Mexico’s Independence Day, although many celebrate it as such. Mexico’s Independence Day is actually celebrated on September 15th. Mexico declared its independence from Spain on August 24th, 1821. Cinco de Mayo is an important date in the Mexican and Chicano communities throughout the U.S. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla. The "Batalla de Puebla" represented a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism, even though the French eventually defeated the Mexican army. This victory demonstrated to the world that Mexico and Latin America were willing to defend themselves from any foreign invaders.

Cinco de Mayo's history has its roots in the French occupation of Mexico. The French occupation occured in the aftermath of the Mexican American War of 1846 - 1848. This war was the beginning of a national crisis during the 1850's for Mexico. Years of fighting a civil war and the Americans had left Mexico devastated and bankrupt. So on July 17, 1861, President Benito Juarez signed a moratorium proclaiming that all foreign debt payments would be suspended for a two years, with the promise that payments would resume after the two years.

Cinco de Mayo is not an American Holiday but Chicanos in the U.S. than in Mexico celebrate it on a much larger scale. In Mexico, the Independence Day celebration is considered more important. The modern Cinco de Mayo holiday began in the U.S. when a group of university students decided to hold the first Cinco de Mayo commemoration in the U.S. around 1967. The students believed that there was no Chicano holidays and wanted to do something about it. They sought something to recapture their identity and history and decided that the Battle of Puebla was symbolic, and they could connect it to their struggle for the formation of a Chicano program at the university.

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on a much larger scale in the U.S. because if it had not been for the Battle of Puebla victory, it is believed that France would have helped the South in the American Civil War, and this could have had an impact on the war. Chicanos celebrates this day in appreciation of its cultural and historical significance. In the U. S., Cinco de Mayo has become as significant as in Mexico. Commercial interests in the United States have capitalized on the celebration, advertising Mexican products and services, with an emphasis on beverages, foods, and music.

The Cinco de Mayo date is perhaps best recognized in the United States as a date to celebrate the culture and experiences of Americans of Mexican ancestry, much as St. Patrick's Day, Oktoberfest, and the Chinese New Year are used to celebrate those of Irish, German, and Chinese ancestry, respectively. As a result, the holiday is observed by many Americans regardless of ethnic origins, especially in cities and states where there is a large population of Mexican ancestry. Although it is not an official holiday, many cities with large populations of Mexican ancestry honor the day as a symbolic representation of Mexican pride and as a representation of a culture that blends both Mexican and American roots. Celebrations tend to draw both from traditional Mexican symbols and from prominent figures of Mexican descent in the United States.