Cinco de Mayo Countdown

Not Mexican independence — the underdog battle of Puebla.

How many days until Cinco de Mayo?

Live countdown to Cinco de Mayo 2027

About Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at Puebla in 1862. In the United States it has evolved into a broad celebration of Mexican-American culture.

The story behind Cinco de Mayo

The battle behind the holiday was genuinely improbable. On May 5, 1862, a Mexican force of roughly 2,000 under General Ignacio Zaragoza — many of them farmers and miners — met a French army considered the best in the world, and held. The French did come back and won the war; but the unlikely stand became a symbol.

The celebration grew on the other side of the border. Mexican-Americans in California had been marking the date since the 1860s, but the modern fiesta took off in the 1980s when beer brands turned the date into a celebration of Mexican-American culture — to the point that many Mexicans shrug at the holiday while the US throws the bigger party.

In Puebla itself, the day is marked with a military-style reenactment of the battle, complete with period uniforms. It is a local holiday more than a national one — Mexico's true independence day is September 16.

Cinco de Mayo dates 2027–2030

Cinco de Mayo facts

• Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico's victory at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.
• It is NOT Mexican Independence Day — that's September 16.
• The battle: 2,000 Mexican soldiers under Ignacio Zaragoza held off 6,000 French troops.
• Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more enthusiastically in the US than in most of Mexico.