Why The 5th?
Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May,
is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over
France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. While it is a
relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States, Cinco de Mayo has
evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in
areas with large Mexican-American populations.
Cinco de Mayo history:
In 1861, Benito Juárez—a lawyer and member of the indigenous Zapotec
tribe—was elected president of Mexico. At the time, the country was in
financial ruin after years of internal strife, and the new president was forced
to default on debt payments to European governments. In response, France, Britain and Spain sent
naval forces to Veracruz, Mexico, demanding repayment. Britain and Spain
negotiated with Mexico and withdrew their forces. France, however, ruled by
Napoleon III, decided to use the opportunity to carve an empire out of Mexican
territory. Late in 1861, a well-armed French fleet stormed Veracruz, landing a
large force of troops and driving President Juárez and his government into
retreat.
The Battle of Puebla:
Certain that success would come swiftly, 6,000 French troops under
General Charles Latrille de Lorencez set out to attack Puebla de Los Angeles, a
small town in east-central Mexico. From his new headquarters in the north,
Juárez rounded up a ragtag force of 2,000 loyal men—many of them either
indigenous Mexicans or of mixed ancestry—and sent them to Puebla. The vastly outnumbered and poorly supplied
Mexicans, led by Texas-born General Ignacio Zaragoza, fortified the town and
prepared for the French assault. On May 5, 1862, Lorencez gathered his
army—supported by heavy artillery—before the city of Puebla and led an assault.
How long did the Battle of Puebla
last?: The battle lasted from daybreak to early
evening, and when the French finally retreated they had lost nearly 500
soldiers. Fewer than 100 Mexicans had been killed in the clash. Although not a
major strategic win in the overall war against the French, Zaragoza’s success
at the Battle of Puebla on May 5 represented a great symbolic victory for the
Mexican government and bolstered the resistance movement. In 1867—thanks in
part to military support and political pressure from the United States, which
was finally in a position to aid its besieged neighbor after the end of the
Civil War—France finally withdrew. The
same year, Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, who had been installed as
emperor of Mexico in 1864 by Napoleon, was captured and executed by Juárez’s
forces. Puebla de Los Angeles was renamed for General Zaragoza, who died of
typhoid fever months after his historic triumph there.
Cinco de Mayo in Mexico:
Within Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is primarily observed in the state of
Puebla, where Zaragoza’s unlikely victory occurred, although other parts of the
country also take part in the celebration.
Traditions include military parades, recreations of the Battle of Puebla
and other festive events. For many Mexicans, however, May 5 is a day like any
other: It is not a federal holiday, so offices, banks and stores remain open.
Why do we celebrate Cinco de Mayo in
the United States?: In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is
widely interpreted as a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage,
particularly in areas with substantial Mexican-American populations. Chicano activists raised awareness of the
holiday in the 1960s, in part because they identified with the victory of
indigenous Mexicans (such as Juárez) over European invaders during the Battle
of Puebla. Today, revelers mark the
occasion with parades, parties, mariachi music, Mexican folk dancing and
traditional foods such as tacos and mole poblano. Some of the largest festivals
are held in Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston.
Confusion with Mexican Independence
Day: Many people outside Mexico mistakenly
believe that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican independence, which was
declared more than 50 years before the Battle of Puebla. Independence Day in Mexico (Día de la
Independencia) is commemorated on September 16, the anniversary of the
revolutionary priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla’s famous “Grito de Dolores”
(“Cry of Dolores”), a call to arms that amounted to a declaration of war
against the Spanish colonial government in 1810.
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