Cinco de Mayo: Five things you didn’t know

Why We Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is upon us. Many will be celebrating the holiday with margaritas and Mexican food.

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Here are five facts about the Mexican holiday that you can use to impress your friends:

1) Despite a common misconception, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day. The holiday celebrates the  Battle of Puebla , where, against all odds, the Mexicans made a stand against an invading French army in 1862.

Artists take part in the reenactment of the Battle of Puebla
						-Mexico's victory over France in 1862- during its anniversary
						celebration at Penon de los Banos neighbourhood in Mexico City, on
						May 5, 2016. Although in 1863 France finally took the Mexican
						capital and installed a five-year regime led by Emperor
						Maximilian, the Battle of Puebla's importance lies in that it
						strengthened the Mexican spirit after it prevented Napoleon III
						from conquering the country in a first attempt. / AFP / ALFREDO
						ESTRELLA (Photo credit should read ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP/Getty
						Images)

Credit: ALFREDO ESTRELLA

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Credit: ALFREDO ESTRELLA

2) Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States than it is in Mexico, with the exception of the city of Puebla. Mexico holds more of a celebration on its  Independence Day, September 16, than it does on Cinco de Mayo.

3) The holiday means big business for the avocado industry. The  California Avocado Commission says that Americans consume around 81 million avocados during Cinco de Mayo.

Picture of avocados taken at an orchard in the municipality of
						Uruapan, Michoacan State, Mexico, on October 18, 2016.With the
						United States buying most of the Mexican avocado production and
						the domestic demand constantly growing, the price of avocados in
						Mexico is suffering frecuent increases. (RONALDO
						SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

Credit: RONALDO SCHEMIDT

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Credit: RONALDO SCHEMIDT

4) Chandler, Arizona, has a unique way of celebrating Cinco de Mayo. It hosts a Chihuahua race every year.

>>  Quiz: How much do you know about Cinco de Mayo?

5) The 2010 U.S. Census estimates that about 31.8 million U.S. residents are of Mexican origin. The largest concentration of Mexican-Americans is in Los Angeles, the city that holds the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the U.S.