Cinco de Mayo
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. The day,
which falls on Sunday, May 5 in 2019, is also known as Battle of Puebla Day.
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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