The Postal Service issued a 32-cent Cinco de Mayo commemorative stamp on April 16, 1998 and April 27, 1999, in San Antonio, Texas.
The stamp is a salute to the holiday Cinco de Mayo. The origins of Cinco de Mayo date back to Mexico's victory over French invaders at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo celebrations symbolize national self-determination for Mexican-Americans and solidarity within the Latin-American community. This stamp was the third addition to the Holiday Celebrations Series, begun in 1996 to reflect a different cultural or ethnic holiday each year.
Designed by Carl Herrman of Laguna Niguel, California, and illustrated by Robert Rodriquez of Pasadena, California, the stamp was printed by Stamp Venturers, Inc. in the gravure process and issued in self-adhesive panes of twenty.
