Cinco de Mayo: Verdad o Mito

Cinco de Mayo means the May 5th.

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Answer explanation

Cinco de Mayo began as a day to celebrate the military with parades in Puebla. The widespread popularity of the holiday is mainly due to marketing efforts of American companies in the 1980s.

Cinco de Mayo celebrated Mexican independence.

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Answer explanation

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla, which was fought on May 5, 1862.

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated as a national holiday all over Mexico.

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Answer explanation

For many years, Cinco de Mayo celebrations were limited to the state of Puebla, but overall, the day is not widely celebrated across Mexico.

Cinco de Mayo was first celebrated in California.

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Answer explanation

A few weeks after the Battle of Puebla, Americans and Latinos in California heard about the valiant efforts of Mexican soldiers through newspaper reports. Residents in the state were so excited that they celebrated with parades of people dressed in Civil War uniforms.

Cinco de Mayo is mostly recognized as a day to celebrate Mexican pride.

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Answer explanation

Cinco de Mayo was first popularized in the US by civil rights activists in the 1960s who saw the holiday as an opportunity to celebrate Mexican-American pride.

Cinco de Mayo is a remembrance of a victory against the Spanish Empire.

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Answer explanation

The Battle of Puebla occurred in the second Franco-Mexican War against the second French Empire under Napoleon III.

The holiday is not called Cinco de Mayo in Mexico.

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Answer explanation

The holiday's official name is El Día de la Batalla de Puebla, which translates to "The Day of the Battle of Puebla" in English.

Many large Cinco de Mayo celebrations will feature a mariachi band.

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Answer explanation

A mariachi band is a traditional Mexican folk music ensemble that typically includes a line-up of specific instruments, including: violin, guitar, trumpet, vihuela (a 15th-century Spanish stringed instrument), and guitarrón (a bass guitar). Mariachi bands originate from the 18th century and are steeped in revolutionary history.

Much of the food you will see at Cinco de Mayo celebrations and Mexican restaurants, such as tacos, are really "Tex-Mex."

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Answer explanation

Tex-Mex is a smaller grouping of classic dishes like tacos, burritos, and chimichangas while Mexican food has much more variety and much more complicated foods.

The victory on May 5th of the Battle of Puebla eventually led to democracy in Mexico.

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Answer explanation

Cinco de Mayo led to a French Emperor ruling Mexico. Even though the French lost the Battle of Puebla, they sent for help from France, and within two years had captured Mexico City, effectively conquering Mexico. Maximilian, a prince from Austria, who was a relative of the French king, was brought in to rule Mexico.