No, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s version of the Fourth of July

Wednesday was Cinco de Mayo – a day that many Americans mistakenly believe is Mexican Independence Day.
News 12’s Brian Donohue decided to investigate further and found that it is far from the only thing most Americans misunderstand about the day.
Many Mexican immigrants told Donohue that Cinco de Mayo is not that big of a deal in Mexico.
The day marks the Mexican Army’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. It is a small regional celebration in the state and city of Puebla. But it has never been a national holiday or even that big of a deal until American liquor marketers used it as a way to add another drinking day to the calendar.
The discrepancy is even more pronounced in New Jersey because a huge percentage of Mexican immigrants who have arrived in New Jersey in the past few decades are from the state of Puebla.
Mexican Independence Day, which is a more widely celebrated day in Mexico is Sept. 16.