Cities across the United States are celebrating Cinco de Mayo today with festivals, parades and other public events.

The holiday is a celebration of the Mexican army’s defeat of the French in an 1862 battle during the Franco-Mexican War, which lasted from 1861 until 1867. Widely celebrated in the United States as a celebration of Mexican-American culture, the holiday is not nearly as celebrated in Mexico outside of Puebla, where the defeat of the French took place.

Celebrations over the weekend brought an estimated 100,000 people to Chicago’s Douglas Park in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, which included a parade on the city’s West Side.

Learn more:
Cinco de Mayo – History.com
Cinco de Mayo celebrations begin with West Side parade - ABC 7 Chicago