A Cinco de Mayo Video Lesson

There’s a lot more to Cinco de Mayo than eating Mexican food.

In fact, the majority of Americans either don’t know why we celebrate Cinco de Mayo or mistakenly think that it commemorates Mexico’s Independence Day (which is actually September 16th).

According to the latest US census, nearly 20% of the entire US population is Hispanic, and about 60% of the Hispanic population comes from Mexico.

This May, use the Edpuzzle Original video lesson on Cinco de Mayo to teach students about the history behind the holiday. Maybe you’ll even learn something yourself!

A Cinco de Mayo Lesson Plan for Grades 3-12

Designed by Edpuzzle’s expert social studies teachers, this video lesson can be adapted for grades 3 all the way up to high school.

In it, students will learn the history of how Cinco de Mayo became a holiday, what it celebrates, and how the holiday spread from Mexico to the United States.

Copy video.

Key Takeaways From the Cinco de Mayo Video Lesson

Students will discover that Cinco de Mayo is actually not widely celebrated in Mexico, though it is still traditionally celebrated in the city of Puebla. Why is that?

It’s because Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican victory at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. After Mexican president Benito Juarez suspended payments of foreign debt, France sent forces to overthrow the Mexican government.

Led by General Ignacio Zaragoza, Mexican soldiers were heavily outnumbered but still defeated the French. President Juarez subsequently made May 5th an official holiday to commemorate the Mexican military victory.

How did Cinco de Mayo come to be celebrated in the United States? The holiday spread to Texas and throughout the western United States, much of which was once owned by Mexico.

And the rest, as they say, is history!

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