City: Albuquerque, NM

Category: Annual Events & Festivals

Description: El Cinco de Mayo, which means “the fifth of May” in Spanish, is often mistakenly associated with Mexican Independence Day (actually September 16). In fact, Cinco de Mayo commemorates an often-overlooked event, the defeat of Napoleon III’s army on May 5, 1862, after French forces unsuccessfully attempted to invade Mexico more than 50 years after it had declared independence from Spain. A national holiday south of the border, it commemorates the victory of the relatively small and poorly armed Mexican forces, who turned back an overwhelmingly superior army of would-be conquerors some 100 miles from Mexico City in the Battle of Puebla.It’s not clear why Cinco de Mayo has caught on as the major Mexican-American day of celebration in the United States. Some speculate that it may be because the defeat at the Battle of Puebla also disrupted the flow of French weapons to Confederate forces, whom Napoleon III was supporting in the Civil War. This disruption contributed to an eventual Union victory.Whatever the reasons, Cinco de Mayo means fiesta time all across the Southwest, including Albuquerque, where the event is celebrated throughout the city at restaurants, bars, and cultural centers. Past festivities have included song, dance, and folklore events at Old Town Plaza, Civic Plaza, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, and the historic Barelas district. There may be neighborhood parades, fireworks, art shows, and musical and theater performances. And of course there’s lots of traditional food and good cheer. Check local papers and events listings for the current year’s events.