CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The chief curator of Chicago's National Museum of Mexican Art says Cinco de Mayo is a much bigger deal in Chicago than it is in Mexico.
Cesareo Moreno says in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo marks the day in 1862 when a small Mexican militia defeated a much larger invading French army, and is not considered a major holiday.
In this country, he says the day has become a way to distinguish the Mexican-American community and its unique contributions to American culture and life.
Moreno says in Mexico a much bigger holiday is May 1st or May Day, which commemorates the 1886 Haymarket Riot in Chicago and the role it played in the worker rights movement.
The significance of Cinco de Mayo is lost on many U.S. residents because marketing has long suggested it’s a day of partying, he adds.
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