Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) is tomorrow and the (mostly American) party people are lining up at the liquor stores down here in Mexico. No doubt there will be a lot of authentic Mexican recipes prepared and beer bought to celebrate this country, but Mexicans actually don't seem to care that much about Cinco de Mayo. Maybe it's because there are already so many other holidays throughout the year, many of them bigger and more significant, like the Holy Week that just ended a few days. And maybe because it's more of an American party excuse than a Mexican celebration: check this out: 
That is from 2005 obviously, but I see advertisements like this all over town, mostly in the gringo hot spots, for foreigners looking to get their fiesta-freak on! haha. Now I'm all for a good party, but before you go to a 5 de Mayo party, at least get the facts straight: it is not Mexico's independence day! Cinco de Mayo in was the day in 1862 when the Mexico defeated the French and ended the short-lived French occupation of the country and ended the last remaining French presence in North America, at the Battle of Puebla. It isn't really a big deal to people living in Mexico, but it's celebrated abroad as a type of Mexican pride day and a good reason to drink tequila.
To that end, I will be joining my fellow foreign compatriots and I wish you all a happy Cinco de Mayo, mañana.
Cheers,
Carlos Lima
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