Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo celebrates a victory by the Mexican Army over the French Army in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

It was a great victory because it was unexpected. France at that time was still very powerful and had many troops in Mexico. Why were French troops in Mexico? Let's go back a few years.

Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1810. But the Mexican War with the United States and the Mexican Civil War almost entirely wiped out the Mexican Treasury. During these wars, Mexico had borrowed heavily from European countries, including France. In the early 1860s, Mexico stopped paying France back. France's answer was to invade Mexico.

The French had tried to make Archduke Maximilian of Austria the ruler of Mexico. Under his command, French troops marched from the Gulf of Mexico toward Mexico City.

Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza and about 5,000 poorly armed troops met the 6,000-strong French army at the Battle of Puebla. The Mexican victory was incredible. It stopped the French cold, at least for awhile.

But more French troops returned, and this time they succeeded. French rule of Mexico was short, however. In 1867, pressure from the United States and from other concerns abroad convinced France to abandon its Mexican empire. Mexico was free once again.

The importance in the Battle of Puebla is in the ability of a smaller, more poorly equipped army to defeat a larger, well-equipped one. The Mexican people also showed that they were willing to defend their homeland from invaders. This victory also punched a hole in the European mystique, which held that European governments and armies were by their very nature more powerful than other, smaller countries and their armies.

Today, people celebrate Cinco de Mayo in a big way. They have festivals and fiestas. They dance special dances and eat special foods. They play special music on special instruments. They take part in sporting events. They make piñatas. People wear clothes of red and green, the colors of the Mexican flag.

They have celebrations large and small. One of the largest is outside the City Hall of Los Angeles, where more than 500,000 gather every year. Small family gatherings are also popular. Mexican flags are everywhere you look. So are pictures of General Ignacio Zaragoza, who won the Battle of Puebla in 1862. This battle was on May 5, after all, and May 5 is Cinco de Mayo!

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo is a chance to honor the memory and bravery of the Mexican soldiers who fought for their country. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the culture of Mexico itself.

Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. That holiday, which is more widely honored in Mexico, is actually celebrated on September 16.

But, to me and what I see it's mostly another holiday for all races to eat Mexican food and get drunk, which leads to many getting drunk and screwing up their lives, forever.

It was Mexico's victory over the French, who were only in Mexico because Mexico defaulted on a loan from France.  What would Mexico be like today, if the France had taken control and ran it for the last 149 years.  We will never know the answer to that question, although I suspect we would have fewer illegals in America???

Posted via email from Kleerstreem's Posterous