The History of Cinco de Mayo | |
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Come Visit Michoacán...the Soul of Mexico
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Story of Benito Juárez - Short History of Porfirio Díaz
Maximilian I, Emperor of Mexico & The French Intervention
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|Introduction |
|The holiday of Cinco De Mayo, The 5th Of May, commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle Of|
|Puebla in 1862. It is primarily a regional holiday celebrated in the Mexican state capital city of Puebla and throughout the state |
|of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico, and especially in U.S. cities with a significant Mexican |
|population. It is not, as many people think, Mexico's Independence Day, which is actually September 16. |
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|Setting The Stage |
|The battle at Puebla in 1862 happened at a violent and chaotic time in Mexico's history. Mexico had finally gained independence |
|from Spain in 1821 after a difficult and bloody struggle, and a number of internal political takeovers and wars, including the |
|Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and the Mexican Civil War of 1858, had ruined the national economy. |
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|Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian |
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|During this period of struggle Mexico had accumulated heavy debts to several nations, including Spain, England and France, who were|
|demanding repayment. Similar debt to the U.S. was previously settled after the Mexican-American War. France was eager to expand its|
|empire at that time, and used the debt issue to move forward with goals of establishing its own leadership in Mexico. Realizing |
|France's intent of empire expansion, Spain and England withdrew their support. When Mexico finally stopped making any loan |
|payments, France took action on its own to install Napoleon III's relative, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, as ruler of Mexico. |
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|Mexico Confronts The Invasion |
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|Map showing Veracruz, site of the French invasion |
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|France invaded at the gulf coast of Mexico along the state of Veracruz (see map) and began to march toward Mexico City, a distance |
|today of less than 600 miles. Although American President Abraham Lincoln was sympathetic to Mexico's cause, and for which he is |
|honored in Mexico, the U.S. was involved in its own Civil War at the time and was unable to provide any direct assistance. |
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|Gen. Zaragoza |
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|Marching on toward Mexico City, the French army encountered strong resistance near Puebla at the Mexican forts of Loreto and |
|Guadalupe. Lead by Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin, a smaller, poorly armed militia estimated at 4,500 men were able to |
|stop and defeat a well outfitted French army of 6,500 soldiers, which stopped the invasion of the country. The victory was a |
|glorious moment for Mexican patriots, which at the time helped to develop a needed sense of national unity, and is the cause for |
|the historical date's celebration. |
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|Unfortunately, the victory was short lived. Upon hearing the bad news, Napoleon III had found an excuse to send more troops |
|overseas to try and invade Mexico again, even against the wishes of the French populace. 30,000 more troops and a full year later, |
|the French were eventually able to depose the Mexican army, take over Mexico City and install Maximilian as the ruler of Mexico. |
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|Maximilian's rule of Mexico was also short lived, from 1864 to 1867. With the American Civil War now over, the U.S. began to |
|provide more political and military assistance to Mexico to expel the French, after which Maximilian was executed by the Mexicans -|
|his bullet riddled shirt is kept at the museum at Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City. So despite the eventual French invasion of |
|Mexico City, Cinco de Mayo honors the bravery and victory of General Zaragoza's smaller, outnumbered militia at the Battle of |
|Puebla in 1862. |
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|Today's Celebration |
|For the most part, the holiday of Cinco de Mayo is more of a regional holiday in Mexico, celebrated most vigorously in the state of|
|Puebla. There is some limited recognition of the holiday throughout the country with different levels of enthusiasm, but it's |
|nothing like that found in Puebla. |
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|Celebrating Cinco de Mayo has become increasingly popular along the U.S.-Mexico border and in parts of the U.S. that have a high |
|population of people with a Mexican heritage. In these areas the holiday is a celebration of Mexican culture, of food, music, |
|beverage and customs unique to Mexico. |
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|Commercial interests in the United States and Mexico have also had a hand in promoting the holiday, with products and services |
|focused on Mexican food, beverages and festivities, with music playing a more visible role as well. Several cities throughout the |
|U.S. hold parades and concerts during the week following up to May 5th, so that Cinco de Mayo has become a bigger holiday north of |
|the border than it is to the south, and being adopted into the holiday calendar of more and more people every year. |
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|[Sources: Encyclopedia Encarta, Encyclopedia Britanica, Prescott's Mexico:1900, HistoryChannel.com, other sources. minor edits |
|April 25, 2007] |
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|[Educational or citation fair use is permitted, please quote your source as Mexonline.com] |
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