WSIL â€� Cinco de Mayo, or May 5 to the non-Spanish speaker, is celebrated by thousands of people in the U.S and Mexico.Â
But according to a new , only 10-percent of Americans actually know the real reason behind the celebration.
One of the most common misconceptions is that the day celebrates Mexican Independence Day, which actually takes place on Sept. 16.
According to the History Channel’s , May 5, 1862 was the day the French sent 6,000 troops to try and take over Puebla City in the state of Puebla, Mexico.
On that day, a ragtag group of two-thousand Mexican troops� led by famed general Ignacio Zaragoza� gathered to defend Puebla for the entire day.
The French army retreated later that night after losing about 500 troops in battle. The Mexican army only lost fewer than 100 troops.
The battle was seen as symbolic and has been compared to the biblical story of David vs. Goliath, given how strong the French army was at the time combined with the lack of military experience on the Mexican army.
Chicano civil rights activists in the 1960s adopted the day as a way to celebrate the Mexican victory in the U.S.
Since then, the non-federal holiday has gained popularity in the U.S. and is considered only a minor holiday in Mexico, with several celebrations condensed in the state of Puebla.
