A celebration of Mexican culture
Cinco de Mayo marks the Battle of PUEBLA and has grown into a joyful celebration of MEXICAN HERITAGE and CULTURE. This word search gathers the FIESTA — the wide SOMBRERO, the shaking MARACAS, the lively MARIACHI band, and a PINATA full of treats.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the fiesta changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode challenge once the diagonals and backwards words appear.
Food, music and colour
The day is full of flavour and fun, and it's here. Tuck into TACOS with SALSA and GUACAMOLE, made with AVOCADO and a kick of CHILI. There's MUSIC and FOLK DANCING, a colourful PARADE, the green-white-and-red FLAG, the spiny CACTUS of the landscape, and the whole of MEXICO coming together for a FESTIVAL.
What the fifth of May really marks
'Cinco de Mayo' is simply Spanish for 'the fifth of May', and it remembers a real event: on that day in 1862, a smaller, outnumbered MEXICAN army won a surprising victory over invading French forces at the Battle of PUEBLA. It became a proud symbol of standing up against the odds.
Here's the fact that surprises many people: Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day — that's celebrated on 16 September. In fact, the fifth of May is a fairly small occasion in most of MEXICO, observed mainly around PUEBLA, but it has grown into a huge celebration of MEXICAN CULTURE in the United States, full of MARIACHI music, FOLK dancing and delicious food.
Great for a cultures or food topic
It pairs perfectly with a lesson on Mexico, its food or its history — Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words. Play online, print a PDF pack, or use our Make Your Own tool to build a grid from your own fiesta words.
Frequently asked questions
What's in the Cinco de Mayo word search?
A Mexican fiesta — sombreros, maracas, mariachi and a pinata, plus food like tacos, salsa and guacamole and the colours of Mexico. Each puzzle uses a fresh mix.
What does Cinco de Mayo celebrate?
It marks the Battle of PUEBLA and has grown into a joyful celebration of MEXICAN HERITAGE — the FIESTA, MARIACHI music, a PINATA and food like TACOS and GUACAMOLE.
Is it good for a cultures or food topic?
Great fit — pair it with a lesson on Mexico or its food. Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words.