Cinco de Mayo, more commonly referred to as Cinco de Drinko, is a Mexican holiday celebrating the Battle of Puebla, a small city in Mexico. No, it’s actually not a holiday dedicated to drinking copious amounts of margarita mix. Shocking, right? Well in case you were wondering how to actually demonstrate the history behind this holiday without driving people to drink, here are a few infographics you can use. You can also use infographics to explain how Cinco de Mayo has evolved from the holiday it once was into the holiday it is now. See the infographics below, or create your own to illustrate the history of the day, as well as the commercial event it has become. This is but one more great example of how we can use infographics to engage, entertain, and educate.
History of Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for “Five of May,” for those of us who don’t know a lick of Spanish. It marks the day that Mexico won their victory over France all the way back in 1862. It all started over a “little” disagreement over debt repayments in 1861, which ended in France and much of Europe knocking down Mexico’s door to get their money. France liked Mexico so much they tried to take over, but the Republic of Mexico fought back. On May 5, the tiny Mexican army beat out over 6,000 French troops.
That’s something to celebrate, right?
Cinco de Mayo Today
Cinco de Mayo was celebrated in memory of the Battle of Puebla throughout Mexico, and is still big hurrah in Puebla to this day. While it’s not Mexico’s Independence Day (which is September 16, in case you were wondering), Cinco de Mayo was a major event for the country and the Americas in general, and was celebrated heavily in the 18- and 1900’s.
It also marked a day where other countries could celebrate Mexican heritage and culture. Many places began celebrating with Cinco de Mayo festivals, the U.S. incorporated it into their holiday calendar, and it was a big deal for Mexican immigrants living outside of their mother country. Then, over a century later in 1989, Corona decided to capitalize on the event, releasing ad campaigns supporting Mexican-American diversity conveniently around the time of Cinco de Mayo. Thus begins the association we all have with Corona and Cinco de Mayo.
So… no. Cinco de Mayo is not actually a holiday honoring the Patron Saint of Patrón or Mother Margarita. Hopefully you can use these infographics to properly illustrate the history and actual timeline of Mexico’s biggest victory over France. And please leave the sombrero at home when you go out for cinco drinkos.
Bonus Trivia: Since Cinco de Mayo, 1862, no country in North, Central, or South America has been invaded by a European power. I’ll drink to that!