Today is Cinco de Mayo ("The Fifth of May") and to celebrate, we've invited Memo from Mexico to share the history of the holiday with a little bit of help from Wikipedia. You can learn more about Cinco de Mayo by clicking here.
Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday that commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin.
In 1861, Benito Juarez stopped making interest payments to creditor countries which put Mexico in a financial bind. In response, France attacked Mexico to force payment of its debt. France decided that it would try to take over and occupy Mexico. France was successful at first in its invasion; however, on May 5, 1862, at the city of Puebla, Mexican forces were able to defeat an attack by the larger French army. In the Battle of Puebla, the Mexicans were led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin. Although the Mexican army was victorious over the French at Puebla, the victory only delayed the French advance on Mexico City. A year later, the French occupied Mexico. The French occupying forces placed Emperor Maximilian I on the throne of Mexico in 1864. The French, under pressure from the United States, eventually withdrew in 1866-1867. Maximilian was deposed by President Benito Juarez and executed, five years after the Battle of Puebla.
The Battle of Puebla was important for at least two reasons. First, although considerably outnumbered, the Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army. Second, it was significant because since the Battle of Puebla, no country in the Americas has been invaded by an army from another continent.
Cinco de Mayo is celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla and in the United States. The date is observed in the USA and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day, the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.
