JUST FOR
Throw Your Own Fiesta
Pop in some Latin music, mix up some margaritas, and get the party started Cinco de Mayo
BY
CHRISTINA IANZITO
PHOTOGRAPHS BY
TARA DONNE
First things first: Cinco de Mayo is
not
a Mexican holiday.
And contrary to popular belief (at least in the United States),
it isn’t Mexico’s Independence Day, either (that event falls
on September 16 ). The first Cinco de Mayo celebration was
held on May 5, 1862, when the Mexican American community
in California celebrated Mexico’s victory over the invading
French in the Battle of Puebla. Celebrants in Los Angeles
viewed this unlikely win as “a symbol of hope” for forces of
democracy during the U.S. Civil War (France threatened to
ally with the Confederacy; Mexican Americans were over-
whelmingly Union sympathizers). This year marks the 150th
anniversary of that original battle: no better time to cook up
some tortillas, and wave a few Mexican and American flags.
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