May 5, 2022 – Brilliant bursts of color popping through the ground now will match today’s Cinco de Mayo festivals that are held in many cities from coast to coast. Cinco de Mayo, the Fifth of May, celebrates this day in 1862 when a force of 4,500 Mexican troops defeated a French force of 6,000 soldiers in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.
In 1862, the American Civil War was in its early days. The bloodiest battles of the Civil War were yet to come with the Battle of Antietam in September 1862 and the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. In Mexico in 1862, France was trying to take control of Mexico.
After Mexican forces defeated the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, the French fought back eventually recapturing Puebla and Mexico City. After the Civil War ended in 1865, the United States helped Mexico finally expel the French. By 1867, control of Mexico City and Puebla (a state within Mexico) reverted to the Mexican government.
In Mexico, the largest Cinco de Mayo celebrations today occur in Mexico City and Puebla, the site of the 1862 Mexican victory.
By the numbers
The 2010 U.S. Census defines the Hispanic or Latino population as: “a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American or other Spansih culture or origin regardless of race.”
In 2009, the U.S. Census reported 31.7 million U.S. residents of Mexican origin. About one-third of the population in California and Texas are people of Mexican origin with 11.5 million and 6 million people of Mexican origin respectively.
In the 2010 Census, reported in 2011, of a total U.S. population of about 309 million people, 50 million were Hispanic, an increase of 43 percent from the 2000 Census when there were 35 million Hispanic people.
Mexican cuisine part of cultural heritage
Festivals today will feature parades, pageantry and plenty of great food. The cuisine of Mexico has influenced American cuisine in every food group with corn, peppers and beans key ingredients in many delectable dishes. In 2010, Mexican cuisine was included on the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO explains that cultural heritage is more than historical artifacts and monuments. It also includes oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, and rituals passed down from generation to generation. Mexican cuisine is an intangible cultural heritage.
To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Food Network has a special section of recipes.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Why is May 5 celebrated as Conco de Maya?
2. What foreign country was trying to take control of Mexico in 1862?
3. What was happening in the United States in 1862?
INQUIRY QUESTIONS AND LESSON IDEAS
1. Through the link at the end of the story to recipes, review 10 recipes. What percent of the recipes have one or more of the following classic ingredients of Mexican cuisine – corn, peppers, beans?
2. Host a Cinco de Mayo celebration after researching Mexico’s history and culture.
3. Write an essay on your favorite cuisine (general food category such as Italian, Mexican etc.).