The first time I experienced Cinco de Mayo in the United States, I was stunned.

It was May 5, 2014, and I had just moved to New York. After growing up in Mexico and years spent living in Europe, I expected a small cultural moment—perhaps a quiet celebration among Mexican expatriates. After all, in Mexico itself, Cinco de Mayo is not even one of our biggest holidays.

Instead, I encountered something else entirely.

From the moment I landed stateside, Cinco de Mayo was everywhere: banners at the airport, ads in the streets, promotions in restaurants. On the taxi ride into Manhattan, I saw a news anchor wearing a sombrero under the headline “Cinco de Drinko.”

Over the years, that experience has repeated itself every Cinco de Mayo I spent in the United States. Bars overflowing with patrons screaming for tequila shots. People drinking heavily, often without much connection to what the day actually commemorates. For many Americans, Cinco de Mayo is confused with Mexico’s Independence Day—or reduced to an excuse to drink cheaply.

The spectacle is confusing at best—and an insulting caricature of Mexican culture at worst.

In reality, the holiday marks Mexico’s unlikely........

© Time