Cinco de Mayo

Early May…

The sun is shining, birds are singing, plants are blooming, and tequila is flowing..!

Yes, it’s time for that yearly celebration of Mexico’s Independence Day.

Uh, except that Mexico’s Independence Day is actually dieciséis de septiembre (September 16th).

Sorry to rain on your tequila bar, but this is a common misconception regarding Cinco de Mayo. In reality, the date represents a great victory by Mexican general Seguin against a French army in the Battle of Peubla on May 5th, 1862. His army of 4,000 was able to defeat a French contingent twice its size, approximately 100 miles east of Mexico City.

The holiday has in essence become a celebration of the culture and heritage of Mexico, similar to how we also celebrate the Irish with St. Patrick’s Day or the Germans with Oktoberfest. In Mexico itself, the date is generally only celebrated regionally, namely in the state of Puebla.

OK, now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk tequila…!

Salud!