The entire Mexican population celebrates on the evening of September 15th every year. It's their Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day! They celebrate the night before, and the next day is a public holiday.
"Cinco de Mayo" does not celebrate Mexico's independence.
If you thought it was the "
Cinco de Mayo» the Mexican national holiday, we're busting that myth today. It's actually a celebration of the victory at the Battle of Puebla that took place in 1862. «
Cinco de Mayo" is celebrated in Puebla, but not elsewhere in Mexico.
Spain initially conquered Mexico in the 1500s.
In the 16th century, Spain controlled Latin America from what was then "New Spain." It was a Spanish colony.
September 16, 1810, marked the beginning of
Mexico's independence from Spain.
It was a priest named Miguel Hidalgo who secretly started the revolt.
Father Hidalgo had about 90,000 poor farmers and Mexican civilians who believed in him.
The eve of Mexico's Independence Day is called "El Grito de Dolores" (the Cry of Dolores).
On the night of September 15th to 16th, he launched the cry for independence and rang the bells to start the battle that lasted 11 years.
And although independence was officialized in 1821, it is the beginnings of the battle for independence that Mexicans prefer to celebrate. Nothing to do with «
Cinco de Mayo» again.
The base of the Angel of Independence is a mausoleum (a funerary monument).
You may know the Angel of Independence monument (El Ángel de la Independencia) which is located in Mexico City. Well, it's also a memorial site. The angel holds a laurel wreath, a sign of victory, and a broken chain, a sign of the end of Spanish rule over Mexico.
At the heart of the monument, in a crypt, lie the heroes of Independence such as Andrés Quinta Roo, Guadalupe Victoria, and Miguel Hidalgo.
¡Viva México! on September 15th and 16th, not "
Cinco de Mayo"
