Cinco de Mayo
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154 free Cinco De Mayo trivia questions with answers — trivia quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
50 free Cinco De Mayo trivia questions with answers. It's one of the most celebrated holidays in the United States — but most people don't know what it's really about. From the Battle of Puebla to the rich traditions of Mexican culture, how much do you actually know?
30 of 154 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Within Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is a full day off work only in Puebla and which neighboring state?
Veracruz
Veracruz, Puebla's neighbor to the east, is the only other state where May 5 is a statutory day off; elsewhere in Mexico the day is mostly ceremonial, marked by military parades and battle reenactments.
Q 02In what year did the Battle of Puebla take place?
1862
The battle was fought on May 5, 1862, outside Puebla; a year on, a larger French army took the city and marched into Mexico City.
Q 03Which two European powers joined France's 1861 Mexico expedition but pulled out before the fighting?
Britain and Spain
Britain and Spain signed the 1861 Convention of London with France but withdrew in April 1862, once it became clear France meant to overthrow the Mexican government rather than collect debts.
Q 04Who was the Mexican general who led the victory at the Battle of Puebla?
Ignacio Zaragoza
Ignacio Zaragoza was only 33 when he beat Lorencez's French force at Puebla on May 5, 1862; the state of Coahuila was later renamed Coahuila de Zaragoza in his honor.
Q 05Cinco de Mayo is often confused with which other holiday, the most important on Mexico's calendar?
Mexican Independence Day
Many outside Mexico mistake Cinco de Mayo for Mexican Independence Day, which marks the 1810 call to arms in Dolores; Cinco de Mayo instead commemorates a single battle against the French fought more than 50 years later.
Q 06When is Mexican Independence Day celebrated?
September 16
September 16 marks the 1810 call to arms in Dolores; every year on the night of the 15th the president rings the same bell from the National Palace balcony.
Q 07Which French emperor ordered the invasion of Mexico that led to the Battle of Puebla?
Napoleon III
Napoleon III sent troops after Mexico suspended foreign debt payments in 1861, hoping to plant a French-aligned monarchy while the United States was busy with its Civil War; once that war ended, US pressure helped push the French out.
Q 08The Mexican general who won the Battle of Puebla was born in what is now which US state?
Texas
Ignacio Zaragoza was born in 1829 at Bahía del Espíritu Santo, a presidio town on the San Antonio River, when Texas was part of Mexico; a Texas state historic site marks his birthplace.
Q 09The word 'burrito' literally means what in Spanish?
Little donkey
Burrito is the diminutive of burro, Spanish for donkey, so it means little donkey; one popular theory says the name refers to the way a stuffed tortilla carries a load like a pack animal.
Q 10What is a piñata traditionally made of?
Papier-mâché or clay pot
Traditional piñatas are made from a clay pot (olla) covered in papier-mâché and decorated with colorful tissue paper. Modern piñatas are often made entirely from cardboard and papier-mâché.
Q 11Which Mexican president was in power during the Battle of Puebla?
Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez was president of Mexico during the French intervention. He is celebrated as one of Mexico's greatest leaders for defending Mexican sovereignty and implementing liberal reforms.
Q 12Which Austrian archduke was installed as Emperor of Mexico in 1864 after French troops took the capital?
Archduke Maximilian
Archduke Maximilian accepted the Mexican crown in 1864 on the strength of a French-organised plebiscite; his empire collapsed once Napoleon III withdrew the French army.
Q 13Which US city's Fiesta Broadway has been billed as the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the world?
Los Angeles
Q 21Which Mexican muralist's Rockefeller Center fresco was destroyed in 1934 over a portrait of Lenin?
Diego Rivera
Rivera had added Lenin after a newspaper called the work 'anti-capitalist propaganda'; only black-and-white photographs of the unfinished fresco survive.
Q 22What is the milky fermented drink made from the sap of the maguey agave?
Pulque
Pulque is the milky, lightly alcoholic drink made by fermenting aguamiel, the sap tapped from the heart of the maguey agave; it was sacred to the Aztecs, who restricted it largely to elders and ritual occasions.
Q 23What is the legal difference between Mexico's Jalisco agave spirit and its smokier cousin?
Fiesta Broadway, launched in downtown Los Angeles in 1990, closed off blocks of Broadway for a day of music and food and was billed as the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the world.
Q 14Mexico's Revolution Day, marking the 1910 uprising against Porfirio Díaz, falls in which month?
November
Since 2006 the holiday has been observed on the third Monday of November rather than on the 20th itself.
Q 15What is the main ingredient in traditional Mexican tamales?
Masa (corn dough)
Tamales are built on masa, a dough of ground lime-treated corn that is wrapped in husks or banana leaves and steamed; the Florentine Codex describes many varieties sold in Aztec markets.
Q 16What Mexican folk art tradition involves brightly painted carved wooden animal figures?
Alebrijes
Alebrijes are brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical creatures. Originally created by Pedro Linares in the 1930s from papier-mâché, the Oaxacan wood-carved version became famous worldwide.
Q 17Which UNESCO-listed Mexican music uses trumpets, violins, vihuela and a big bass guitar?
Mariachi
Mariachi was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2011; a typical ensemble has two or more violins, trumpets, a guitar, a vihuela and a deep-bodied bass, and is rooted in western Mexico.
Q 18What Mexican holiday, celebrated November 1-2, honors deceased loved ones?
Día de los Muertos
Día de los Muertos is observed on November 1 and 2; families build ofrendas with photos, sugar skulls and the favorite foods of the departed, and gather in cemeteries to clean and decorate graves.
Q 19Which Mexican artist, famed for unflinching self-portraits, painted Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird?
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is Mexico's most famous female artist, known for her deeply personal self-portraits. "The Two Fridas" (1939) depicts two versions of herself with exposed hearts connected by a vein.
Q 20What deep-bodied six-string bass anchors a traditional Mexican trumpet-and-violin ensemble?
Guitarrón
The guitarrón, with its deep V-shaped back built from two angled pieces of wood, supplies the bass line in the ensemble; it inspired Ernie Ball's Earthwood acoustic bass guitar of 1972.
One must use a single plant species; the other may use many
All tequila is technically a mezcal, and mezcal is made from more than 30 agave species; the smoky taste comes from roasting the hearts in underground pits.
Q 24What is pozole?
A traditional soup made with hominy and meat
Pozole is a traditional Mexican soup made with hominy (dried corn kernels treated with lime), meat (usually pork), and a rich broth flavored with chili peppers. It's often served for celebrations and holidays.
Q 25What ancient civilization built the pyramid of Chichén Itzá in Mexico?
Maya
The Maya of the Terminal Classic period built Chichén Itzá in the Yucatán; its Temple of Kukulcán won the worldwide vote in 2007.
Q 26What is the name of Mexican professional wrestling?
Lucha libre
Lucha libre (Spanish for 'free fight') is Mexico's colorful professional wrestling tradition. Wrestlers, known as luchadores, are famous for their elaborate masks, which represent honor — losing a mask in a match is a great disgrace.
Q 27Which two Mexican states both claim to be the birthplace of mole?
Puebla and Oaxaca
Puebla and Oaxaca both claim mole: Puebla for mole poblano, the dark chile-and-chocolate sauce, and Oaxaca for its nickname 'land of the seven moles', from negro to amarillo.
Q 28Which orange flower's petals line the path to Mexican ofrendas so returning spirits can find their way?
Cempasúchil (marigold)
Cempasúchil, the Mexican marigold, takes its name from the Nahuatl cempōhualxōchitl, 'twenty flowers'; its bright petals and scent are said to guide spirits to the ofrenda, and it is sometimes called flor de muerto.
Q 29How many points does the classic star-shaped Mexican piñata have, and what do they stand for?
7, for the seven deadly sins
The traditional piñata has 7 points, each representing one of the 7 deadly sins. Breaking the piñata symbolizes the triumph of good over evil, and the candy that falls represents divine rewards.
Q 30Mexico City sits at roughly what elevation above sea level?
About 2,240 m (7,350 ft)
Mexico City lies about 2,240 m (7,350 ft) above sea level on the floor of the Valley of Mexico, the former bed of Lake Texcoco, which is why parts of the city keep sinking.