Step 1 : Introduction to the question "What does Cinco de Mayo celebrate?"
Cinco de Mayo is a celebration held on May 5. The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. The victory of the smaller Mexican force against a larger French force was a major boost to morale for the Mexicans. Mexican-Americans in California began celebrating Cinco de Mayo the following year to show solidarity with Mexico against French rule. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is frequently confused with Mexican Independence Day, which is on September 16th.
