All About Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo (the fifth of May) is a national holiday in Mexico, which commemorates the victory of Mexican forces, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza, over the French, on May 5, 1862. This holiday is rapidly becoming a favorite celebration in the United States as well. Cinco de Mayo is observed on May 5th each year and is marked by celebrations, fiestas, parades and parties.
Cinco de Mayo gained popularity in the United States due to the Chicano student movement of the late 1960s. Inspired by student-activists nationwide, members of the MEChA organization in California chose this day of celebration to highlight their largely Mexican ancestry. Over the years, this holiday was absorbed by the mainstream culture in the Southwest United States, and finally across the nation. For many Mexican-American communities, Cinco de Mayo is an important way to proudly honor Mexican heritage, overshadowing Mexico's Independence Day in significance.
Non-Mexican Americans also participate in the celebrations, much in the same manner that non-Irish Americans observe St. Patrick's Day, with holiday-themed parties marked by the consumption of Mexican food, tequila and Mexican beer.
History of Cinco de Mayo
Under the pretext of forcing payment for Mexico's outstanding and crippling debt, Britain, Spain and France sent troops to Mexico. The democratically elected government of President Benito Juarez made agreements with the British and the Spanish, who promptly recalled their armies, but the French stayed. Emperor Napoleon III wanted to secure French dominance in the former Spanish colony, including installing one of his relatives, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, as ruler of Mexico. Although Abraham Lincoln roundly condemned Napoleon's imperialist ambitions in a neighboring country, he was unable to assist Mexico as the United States was embroiled in the American Civil War at the time.
Confident of a quick victory, 6,500 French soldiers marched on Mexico City to seize the capital before the Mexicans could muster a viable defense. Along their march, the French already encountered stiff resistance before Zaragoza struck out to intercept the invaders.
The battle between the French and Mexican armies occurred on May 5 when Zaragoza's ill-equipped militia of 4,500 men encountered the better armed French force. However, Zaragoza's small and nimble cavalry units were able to prevent French dragoons from taking the field and overwhelming the Mexican infantry. The dragoons removed from the main attack, the Mexicans routed the remaining French soldiers with a combination of their tenacity, inhospitable terrain, and a stampede of cattle set off by local peasants. The invasion was stopped and crushed.
