What is Cinco de Mayo? Here's a look at the celebration and its connection to Mexican history

CBS News

05-05-2025

Cinco de Mayo festivities are taking place across the U.S. with music, tacos, tequila and colorful displays of Mexican culture — even if they're not always the most authentic.
The day falls on a Monday this year, meaning the bulk of the celebrations took place over the weekend. In California, a state with a large Mexican American population, there was a mix of art displays, classic car shows, parades and food truck offerings.
In Dallas, Texas, events included the annual Cinco de Mayo parade down the historic Jefferson Boulevard in Oak Cliff, a Cinco de Mayo market at Trinity Groves, a weekend-long celebration at Dallas Farmers Market and several restaurant celebrations.
Here's a look at the celebration and its roots:
What the day celebrates
Cinco de Mayo marks the anniversary of the 1862 victory by Mexican troops over invading French forces at the Battle of Puebla. The triumph over the better-equipped and much larger French troops was an enormous emotional boost for Mexican soldiers led by Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza.
In Mexico, historical reenactments are held annually in the central city of Puebla to commemorate the victory. Participants dress as Mexican and French troops, and as Zacapoaxtlas — the Indigenous and farmer contingent that helped Mexican troops win.
In the United States the date is seen as a celebration of Mexican American culture, stretching back to the 1800s in California. Festivities typically include parades, street food, block parties, mariachi competitions and baile folklórico, or folkloric ballet, with whirling dancers wearing bright, ruffled dresses and their hair tied with shiny ribbons.
Latino activists and scholars say that disconnect in the U.S. is bolstered by the hazy history of Cinco de Mayo, and marketing that plays on stereotypes that include fake, droopy mustaches and gigantic, colorful sombreros. The day often is mistaken for Mexican Independence Day, which is in September.
It's not all about tequila and tacos
For many Americans with or without Mexican ancestry, the day is an excuse to toss back tequila shots and gorge on tortilla chips, nachos and tacos.
The celebrations in the U.S. started as a way for Mexican Americans to preserve their cultural identity, said Sehila Mota Casper, director of Latinos in Heritage Conservation.
"Since then we've seen a shift to more commercialization and commodification and mockery over the years," Mota Casper said. "I think that has a lot to do with the commercialization of products and especially Latino heritage."
Mota Casper encourages people to learn about that day in history and its importance in Mexico.
Jacob Troncoza, 49, said he celebrates Cinco de Mayo in his household because he's proud of his Mexican ancestry.
"I try to make sure that the kids understand what it's about, which was the revolution, the war, and the battles that our grandfathers fought on," said Troncoza, who was born in east Los Angeles.
Others, like Andrea Ruiz don't because her Mexican dad never did. But she noted what she deemed the irony in widespread celebrations.
"I think it's funny Trump … and all of his supporters want to get Mexicans out, call them criminals, but then on Cinco de Mayo, they want to go and eat tacos and drink tequila," the 23-year-old Ruiz said.
Political rhetoric
Since returning to the White House, Trump has continued to label Mexican immigrants as criminals and gang members. He's also sought to end birthright citizenship, renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and ended the federal government's diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Trump acknowledged Cinco de Mayo during his first term, posting on X, "Happy #CincoDeMayo!" and "I love Hispanics!" as he sat with a "taco bowl." In the last presidential election, data showed more young Hispanic men moved to the right and voted for Trump.
It's unclear if the current administration will acknowledge Cinco de Mayo — designated a holiday in Mexico but not in the United States. The Associated Press sent an email to the White House Press Office late Friday seeking comment.
Trump's handling of immigration remains a point of strength as he ramps up deportations and targets people living in the U.S. without legal status, according to a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. While Trump's actions remain divisive, there's less of a consensus that the Republican president has overstepped on immigration than on other issues, the poll found.
Organizers of Chicago's Cinco de Mayo parade said they canceled it because the city has become a target for immigration agents.