Cinco de Mayo 2023 comes 161 years after the battle of Puebla in 1862 when the Mexican army defeated the French army.
The celebration of that victory for Mexico began the year after, in California of course, where it has been observed in some form every year since 1863.
And while it is more popular in the United States than Mexico, Cinco de Mayo has become a celebration of Mexican culture, food and of course margaritas.
And that culture has been and still is an important part of San Diego’s culture and lifestyle. You can’t really think about San Diego without thinking about Mexico and the contributions Mexican born citizens and families have made to our area.
From the early days of the state’s existence, millions of Mexican immigrants have come to California to work and to live in a state and a country that was started by immigrants.
And the significance of the contributions of Mexicans and the impact of the Mexican culture are not any greater than in San Diego with our local economy dependent on commerce back and forth across the border every day.
And with a lot of Mexican immigrants working in the restaurant business, this Cinco de Mayo is a brighter one having gone through the pandemic shutdowns when jobs were lost, and many families were impacted.
Something to think about while you’re out celebrating Cinco de Mayo today.
(Photo courtesy Diane Powers)