Cinco de Mayo: El Día de la Batalla de Puebla

Cinco de Mayo is popular in the United States, but sadly it’s one of those holidays that has lost much of its original meaning. It is often mistaken for Mexico’s Independence Day, but it really commemorates the Battle of Puebla, celebrating the Mexican Army’s victory over French forces in 1862.

Benito Juarez Mural © Arturo Osorno | Dreamstime

The Battle was a result of French intervention in Mexico, responding to President Benito Juárez’s decision to suspend payments on foreign debts for two years. Intending to create a puppet state, Napoleon III sent forces to take Mexico City, eventually leading General Charles de Lorencez on the path to Puebla. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Mexican defense led by General Ignacio Zaragoza held the city against a much stronger French army, blocking them from Mexico City and forcing them to retreat.

The victory was short lived. Napoleon III sent reinforcements to push through to the capital, eventually taking the city and forcing Juárez’s government into exile. While Habsburg Archduke Maximilian became the Emperor of Mexico, the victory at Puebla was of important significance due to its underdog story. Facing twice as many enemy combatants with superior weaponry, the Mexican Army’s victory brought a sense of unity to the Mexican people. Juárez would go on to defeat Maximilian in a guerilla war against the French-installed government, retaking the presidency and declaring May 5 a national holiday, though it is no longer today.

Dancing at the Cinco de Mayo Festival in Delavan, Wisconsin © Rhbabiak13 | Dreamstime

Celebrations in Mexico are big around Puebla, but not elsewhere in the country. Kids have the day off from school, but Cinco de Mayo is not a federal holiday and is much more widely followed in the United States, specifically in California. Surprisingly, Cinco de Mayo in America is as old as it is in Mexico. When immigrant miners from the south heard of their brothers’ victory in Puebla, they expressed their joy by firing guns in the air and singing patriotic songs. For a long time, California was the center for Cinco de Mayo before the rising Chicano movement of the mid-20^th century brought it to the rest of the country.

Today, much of focus has shifted from the battle to Mexican culture. People of Mexican ancestry make up a large portion of American demographics, with major cities across the country holding official Cinco de Mayo events, celebrating the country’s food, art and history.