Cinco de Mayo

May 4, 2008

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Profile America — Sunday, May 4th. While Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow, May 5th, many events celebrating this important date on the Hispanic cultural calendar have been held this weekend. One of the biggest festivals is on the waterfront in Portland, Oregon. By the time the four-day event winds up today, some 300,000 people are expected to have enjoyed entertainment, dancing and ethnic foods. The origin of the observance goes back to 1862, when outnumbered Mexican troops defeated the invading French forces of Napoleon III at the battle of Puebla. There are more than 28 million people of Mexican descent in the U.S., some 9 percent of the total population. Nearly 11 million of these live in California. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2008, p. 244
U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features, CB08-FF.08
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/011613.html