If you find yourself this weekend, particularly on Saturday, at a Mexican restaurant; here are some things you should know before throwing on a sombrero and drinking tequila.
Cinco De Mayo? Not Mexico’s Independence Day. It was a battle in which Mexico fought France called la gerra de puebla. Napoléon the third wanted to expand his empire to Mexico. At the time that the battle of puebla happened Mexico was guaranteed to lose; when they did I, the victory became a source of pride from Mexico. But it’s not celebrated in Mexico. Not the way American’s have taken it anyway. Cinco De Mayo be it all in Spanish is an American Holiday and has little to nothing to do with culture it claims to be celebrating. The day became popular because the Californian Latino community wanted to raise awareness of France’s hold on Mexico. Mexico falling to France would me a confederate strong hold, which the Union did not want. In the 1970’s and 1980’s beer companies wanted a way to target the Chicano community and used the Chicano community in America attempting to raise money for Mexican troops to do so.
So, if you plan on getting drunk on Saturday for the reason of celebrating “Mexican Culture” instead the usual drinking ‘your problems away’ then make sure you at least know what Cinco De Mayo really is. An American Holiday for American’s to get drunk usually Mexico’s history as it’s cover.
Before ordering your margarita know that the Hispanic community makes up 32.8% of the incarceration rate in America. The dropout rate for High School students in the Hispanic Community is 16%. Hispanics are less likely than any other group to attend a four-year university. Economic, social and political factors play a role in this numbers that are only ever so slightly addressed in passing. Hispanics to begin with are lumped into one massive category: Mexican, and often times the word is side with a tone that leaves a child feeling the need to become someone else altogether.
Cinco De Mayo is a great day to celebrate Mexico’s culture if you are actually educated on the Hispanic Community and one the days origins themselves. Don’t just throw on a sombrero and drink in the name of something if you don’t understand. To begin with, just avoid the sombrero altogether.