I always thought that Cinco de Mayo was a Mexican celebration of their independence from a foreign governing body. I discovered that I was wrong.

On May 5th 1862, the locals from the Mexican mountain town of Puebla fought off a highly trained advancing French army that is often described as “elite.” The peasants were significantly outnumbered, yet they prevailed.

Many local Mexican farmers went on the offensive that day and struck down the attack. This was cause for huge celebration and now there is the tradition of observing the 5th of May on that day in 1862 - Cinco de Mayo.