What is Cinco de Mayo? What to know about the holiday's origins

Tiffany Acosta, Arizona Republic
·1 min read

Cinco de Mayo, which translates to "fifth of May" in Spanish, commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

“It's the French under Napoleon who sent their troops into Mexico," said Alexander Aviña, associate professor of history at Arizona State University.

"The Mexican army didn't really have any victory in this five-year occupation since the country had experienced the French raid from 1862 to 1867, but this was one of the few that occurred on the outskirts of Puebla and was led by Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza.

"So they lost a bunch of battles in those five years, but the one battle that they did win occurred on May 5 and that's why it's remembered, in Mexico today, but especially remembered in the area of Puebla. That's where most of the national festivities take place,” Aviña said.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What is Cinco de Mayo? What to know about the holiday's origins