The date of the commemoration of the Battle of Puebla, marks the first time that the The Mexican army couldn’t defeat a better prepared foreign power, in this case the French. The battle took place in the current city of Puebla de Zaragoza on May 5, 1862, between the armies of Mexico and France. This is why cinco de Mayo is an important date. This has become more of a celebration in the United States of Mexican culture than an Mexico.