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Holidays and Observances - Why Is Cinco De Mayo Celebrated?

Why is Cinco de Mayo celebrated?

Cinco de Mayo (pronounced SEEN-co day MAH-yo), which means the fifth day of May in Spanish, commemorates an important day in the history of Mexico. In May 1861 the French emperor Napoleon III (1808–1873) sent troops to conquer Mexico. Under the leadership of the Mexican general Ignacio Zaragozo, Mexicans resisted the French. On May 5, a small ragged group of Mexican soldiers defeated the powerful French army at Puebla (southeast of Mexico City). The French tried again, and this time succeeded in taking over Mexico City and making Ferdinand-Joseph Maximilan (1832–1867) the emperor of Mexico.

Over the next five years, revolutionary hero Benito Juarez (1806–1972) led the fight against the French, taking inspiration from the Mexican soldiers' one-time success on May 5. On September 16, 1867, Juarez and his troops overthrew Maximilan, forcing Napoleon III to order the French to...

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