Cinco de Mayo is More Popular in the United States than in Mexico
Our first surprising fact is that the holiday celebrating Mexican heritage is actually a bigger deal in the United States than it is Mexico. Cinco de Mayo or the “Fifth of May,” was more of an inspiration for Mexican-Americans living in the States during the Civil War era. In fact, Cinco de Mayo is not celebrated all that much outside of Puebla and parts of Mexico. The world’s largest Cinco de Mayo party is held in Los Angeles. President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Good Neighbor Policy” in 1933, intended to improve relations with Latin American countries, helped pave the way for Cinco de Mayo to become a national holiday.
Beer Companies Made Cinco de Mayo a Big Deal
It wasn’t until the 1980s that the holiday began to transform into the cultural and culinary event that it is today. Thanks to marketers, especially marketers for beer companies, the commercialization of the day took shape. Beer companies saw this day as an untapped opportunity to promote their products when others were not. Marketed as a day for drinking, Cinco de Mayo celebrations take place at nearly every bar and at many restaurants. Corona is one of the major players in Cinco de Mayo advertising, as they were one of the first beers to be promoted as the beer to drink for the holiday. Now, we see advertising ramp up at the beginning of May each year, as along with the
Kentucky Derby, it kicks off the summer selling season.
