BIBB COUNTY, Ga. — You may think of Cinco de Mayo as a big party -- and, sure, who can beat tacos and margaritas? -- but the folks at La Mexicana Food Store and Taqueria say it's just not that big of a deal.
Maribel Medina's father came here from Mexico.
"The store, we opened it in 2010. We started as a little grocery store, and over the years, we ventured out into the restaurant," she described.
The regulars pour in on both sides of the business, many of Hispanic descent, but on this Cinco de Mayo, you won't see sombreros or anything more than a simple deal on tacos.
"Most of the Hispanic culture, we don't celebrate it. It's mostly an American celebration," she said.
The day does mark a moment in Mexican history.
"It was the battle between Mexico and the French, and Mexico defeated the French in 1862," Medina stated.
She says that history is lost on most Americans.
"I think it's really funny, because people think it's the Mexican Independence Day, but it's not," she said with a grin.
That happens in September.
What you see today evolved from -- you guessed it -- a creative way to sell stuff.
"They boosted the Cinco de Mayo with the beer, the advertising, they made it a big thing, and that's why it's a big thing in the restaurants with the beer, food," Medina described.
But maybe this year, amid the margaritas, pause and reflect on Mexican culture and the real significance of the celebration.
Mexican Independence Day, which happens in September, and Christmas rank higher in importance than Cinco de Mayo.