Celebrate Cinco de Mayo Thursday!

Cinco de Mayo happens on the fifth of May and is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War, on May 5, 1862. Cinco de Mayo is also known as Battle of Puebla Day. It has also evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations.

A common misconception is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s independence day, which it is not. Rather, it is an important day in Mexican history.

Ironically Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States by Mexicans and Americans alike than it is in Mexico. The largest Cinco de Mayo party takes place in Los Angeles, California. A theory of this happening is that Mexico’s former territories such as Texas and California always celebrated Cinco de Mayo and continued north of the border.

Cinco de Mayo is important to learn about and celebrate because it’s a celebration of Indigenous Mexican people against European colonizers. This holiday has been commercialized by the US. and its anti-colonial meaning has been ignored. In America, the holiday has also been used to highlight racist caricatures of Mexicans.

This Cinco de Mayo, we encourage our community to learn more about the holiday and about Mexican culture. Read articles, watch videos, and listen to podcasts provided below. 

Carthage events

Cinco De Mayo Day Lunch and Ice Cream 
11:45 a.m., Thursday, May 5 
The Center for Faith and Spirituality, Mi Gente, and CAB invite students to lunch to celebrate Cinco De Mayo. Elote and churros will be available and CAB will serve ice cream. Mi Gente will provide a fun educational piece to the day. Lunch will be available on the front steps of A. F. Siebert Chapel, weather permitting. In the case of inclement weather, the event will be held in the front lobby of the chapel. Join us for food and fun!

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo

• How to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo
• Five Authentic Ways to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

Read articles

• “History of Cinco de Mayo” — history.com
• “Cinco de Mayo” — britannica.com
• “What is Cinco de Mayo?” — nytimes.com
• “The Real History of Cinco de Mayo” — npr.org
• “The Real History of Cinco de Mayo” — rd.com
• “The Real History Behind Cinco de Mayo” — indianahistory.com
• “Why do we celebrate Cinco de Mayo?” — abc10.com
• “What Cinco de Mayo means” — hfcc.edu

Watch videos and movies

• “What is Cinco de Mayo?” — YouTube
• “The Battle of Puebla” — YouTube
• “Ask History: Cinco de Mayo” — YouTube
• “The Real Story of Cinco de Mayo” — YouTube
• “¿Qué pasó el 5 de mayo?” — YouTube
• “Cinco de Mayo for Kids” — YouTube
• “Cinco de Mayo: Read Aloud Kid’s Book” — YouTube
• “Cinco de Mayo: A Celebration of Mexican Heritage” — YouTube
• “Cinco de Mayo Celebration” — YouTube
• See a list of 15 festive films to watch
• “Coco” (film) — Netflix
• “The Book of Life” (film) — Learn more on IMDB
• “Cinco de Mayo, The Battle” (film) — Learn more on IMDB

Listen to podcasts

• “The History of Cinco De Mayo and How the Celebration Came to the U.S.” —That Wasn’t My Textbook
• “The Forgotten, Radical Roots of Cinco de Mayo” — The Times: Forgotten News from the L.A. Times
• “Cinco de Mayo Special” — The Jesse Kelly Show
• “How did Cinco de Mayo become a holiday?” — Explain It Slowly
• “May 5: Cinco De Mayo” — Happy Mouth
• “Cinco de Mayo and 10 Myths” — Deeper in the Den

Sponsoring Department, Office, or Organization:

The Office of Equity and Inclusion

For more information, contact:

The Office of Equity and Inclusion