Monday, May 5 marks Cinco de Mayo, an annual celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. While often mistaken for Mexico’s Independence Day, Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, during the Franco-Mexican War.

The battle took place when 6,000 French troops under General Charles Latrille de Lorencez set out to attack Puebla de Los Angeles, a small town in east-central Mexico. In response, about 2,000 Mexican soldiers—many of them indigenous or of mixed ancestry—were assembled under the command of General Ignacio Zaragoza. Despite being outnumbered and poorly supplied, the Mexican forces held their ground from daybreak to early evening. By the end of the battle, fewer than 100 Mexican soldiers had died, compared to nearly 500 French casualties. Zaragoza’s triumph became a powerful symbol of resistance and patriotism for the Mexican government.

In Mexico, particularly in the city of Puebla, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated with military parades, battle reenactments, and festive cultural events. However, it is not a federal holiday, and in much of the country, May 5 is treated as an ordinary workday.

In contrast, Cinco de Mayo is widely celebrated in the United States, especially in areas with large Mexican-American communities. Usually, there are lots of lively parades, street festivals, mariachi music, folkloric dancing, and traditional Mexican cuisine to honor the culture. Some of the largest festivities take place in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston.