What do an active female member of Rhode Island’s Hispanic community and an elderly gentleman who spends his days supervising his Mexican market have in common? An annoyance at what Cinco de Mayo has become in America: a holiday that has replaced tradition with margaritas.
Marta Martínez, director of communications and fund development for Progreso Latino, would like to set the record straight. Cinco de Mayo is not a celebration of Mexico’s independence. Mexico gained independence from Spain on September 16, 1810. Martínez feels compelled to educate the masses on Cinco de Mayo’s story and cultural meaning because, as she told Tribe, “a lot of people don’t know the fascinating historical aspect of it. It’s not commemorated there the way it is here. A lot of people think it is like the Fourth of July, and that is not the case.” The holiday is a point of pride for Mexicans.
Cinco de Mayo honors a significant victory that took place in a little village known as Puebla. At the end of 1861 the French army, under the rule of Napoleon III, landed a fleet in Veracruz with the mission to conquer and establish an empire in Mexico with French interests. As thousands of French troops moved towards Mexico City, villagers spread the word in alarm. Before the French were able to reach their destined city, General Ignacio Zaragoza pulled his army together. Martínez explained, “They didn’t have much of an army so they went to the townspeople. It is reminiscent of Paul Revere. Zaragoza put a call out and got all the people together. Men and women grabbed sticks and stones, whatever they could, and met this large and powerful army, and they fought. And they won.” Martínez continued, “The reason it was such a victory is because it was a tiny ragtag army that defeated this powerful force.”
Martínez is rooted to this historic victory because her father is from Puebla and he raised her to be proud and aware of her heritage. “The victory of Mexico that I grew up with was the pride that the Mexicans had in defeating this army.” Originally, Cinco de Mayo was only celebrated in Puebla and while it has become a somewhat national holiday, the biggest celebrations remain in Puebla. On the fifth day of May in Puebla, schools close and locals gather in the center of town just before midnight on May 4, not unlike a throng awaiting the approaching New Year. As the clock strikes midnight, the governor appears declaring, “Viva Mexico!” The crowd repeats back, “Viva Mexico!” This call and response marks the beginning of Cinco de Mayo.
Enrique Sanchez, owner of Sanchez Mexican Market, was more than happy to tell of his younger years in Puebla. He rocked away in his rocking chair, scratching at his head, searching for a memory, for it has been a while. After several minutes he rocked forward and shouted in Spanish, “Recuerdo, ahora recuerdo,” and then in English, “I remember. Now I remember.” When he was a child they would dress as soldiers to reenact the Battle of Puebla. “The community gathered at the hill in Puebla to show honor because that’s where they started the guerilla war, that’s where we ambushed the French,” he chuckled, proud of the unexpected victory. “They shot fireworks to look like bombs and cannons for the kids to hear.” His grin grew as he remembered a place he hasn’t been in roughly fifty years. He remembered the mariachi bands, the “typicas” dance and fresh mole sauce.
But how did such a triumphant celebration turn into such a hangover? Marta Martínez has an idea. “I think what happened in America is that it became a made-up holiday because they were looking for a way to celebrate Latin American culture. Cinco de Mayo was picked because the Battle of Puebla is so important to the Mexican people.” Martínez has done a lot of research on this matter and that seems to be the consensus. The celebration first started in the Southwest, and it was not a drinking holiday. It was a dignified event for Hispanic Americans. Children learned the historical perspective and families staged reenactments in a small way. Sensationalism took over in the 1980s. “It’s annoying,” Martínez told Tribe. “My father gets annoyed at the fact that it has become what it has become. And you can’t do anything about it, so we ignore it and celebrate Cinco de Mayo as we should.” Martínez finds it hard to do much here because there isn’t a very large Mexican population. She celebrates at home by putting out her flag, cooking a traditional meal and taking any chance she gets to tell people what Cinco de Mayo is all about.
Enrique Sanchez shares the sentiment. Rocking backwards in his chair, he threw his hands in the air and said, “I wish there was no more Cinco de Mayo because people don’t celebrate it in a real way.” The media has hyped Cinco de Mayo up so much simply as a big party that it seems like nobody knows the meaning anymore. The annoyance doesn’t come so much from people wanting to go out and have a good time but from a lack of understanding. So now, next time you say “salud” and clink your margarita, you can share with your friends what it is you’re toasting!
