Cinco de Mayo — It was the “5th of May” when Mexico defeated the French army in 1862 at The Battle of Puebla.

Cinco de Mayo Facts

• May 5, 1862 – the day the Mexican army defeated French invaders at the Battle of Puebla
• 28.3 million – the number of Mexican Americans living in the United States
• 61 feet – the height of the world’s largest Pinata, created by Carnival Cruise Lines in 2008
• 564 – the number of calories in the 12 ounce margarita
• 234,507 tons – the amount of avocados imported from Mexico in 2008

Cinco De Mayo Quiz:

Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico’s defeat of an army from:

1. Spain
2. Texas
3. France ***
4. England

The victory celebrated on Cinco de Mayo took place in 1862. How long was it before the enemy was actually ousted from Mexico?

1. Five years ***
2. 10 years
3. Six months
4. 15 years

The whole thing started over:

1. Gold
2. Money ***
3. Religious identity
4. Agricultural land

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated primarily in:

1. The U.S.
2. The Mexican state of Puebla
3. Mexico City
4. Both a) and b) ***

The Mexican figure most closely associated with Cinco de Mayo is:

1. Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
2. Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza ***
3. Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
4. Paulina Rubio

The United States didn’t intervene because:

1. It was pursuing an isolationist policy.
2. It favored France, a valued trading partner.
3. It was consumed by its own internal problems. ***
4. The governor of Texas asked that it not.

The president of Mexico at the time was:

1. Porfirio Diaz
2. Benito Juárez ***
3. Carlos Salinas de Gortari
4. Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna

One group of Mexicans sided with the French. They were:

1. Conservative landholders ***
2. Peasants
3. Zapotec Indians
4. Both b) and c)