Cinco de Mayo doesn’t mark Mexican Independence, as many believe.

Instead, it’s meant to celebrate the Battle of Puebla, which was fought between the Mexican and French armies in 1862.

• After Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821, other nations did not want to recognize its autonomy.
• After a civil war in the late 1850s, Benito Juárez became Mexico's first indigenous president in 1861.
• Juárez canceled repayments on foreign loans to protect Mexi...

By defeating the French at the Battle of Puebla, Mexicans stopped the French army from moving northward toward the U.S. border, where they would likely have helped the Confederacy.

Mexico's victory likely changed the course of American history. The state of California viewed the victo...

During the 1980s and 1990s, beer companies targeted Mexican Americans, encouraging them to celebrate their heritage with Bud Lights and Dos Equis.

Commodification soon followed, and today's revelers purchase piñatas, Mexican flag items, sombreros, and costumes.

The legacy of Cinco de Mayo reminds us that the past is made meaningful in different ways by different people.

• Mexicans that live outside of Puebla find other national and religious holidays more important.
• The modern Puebla still reenact the Battle of Puebla.
• M...