Cinco de mayo


The Battle won over the French on May 5th, 1862
part of a painting by Patricio Ramos Ortega.

Ignacio Zaragoza, painted by Tejada in 1861.
May fifth (cinco de mayo) is a national holiday in Mexico. Do you know why? Back in the year 1862, a French army of 6,000 well-armed men invaded Mexico, led by General Laurencez. The excuse was that Mexico owed money to their country and could not pay it right then. But they were also allied with the Mexican conservatives to overthrow the liberal government of President Juárez and found an empire. General Ignacio Zaragoza faced these forces in the city of Puebla with only 4,000 poorly-equipped men with little training. Laurencez was so sure of his superiority that he attacked the Mexican army head on as a sign of his contempt. This mistake cost the lives of one thousand Frenchmen on that battlefield. Zaragoza defeated them and make them retreat. Although this did not stop them, and the Empire of Maximilian was founded in our country, the event had great impact.

Each year, we commemorate that battle on the fifth of May. This was the last time that an army from another continent invaded the Americas.

It has become a symbol of what a people can do when defending their culture and their land.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons it has become a symbol of self-determination of peoples and respect for their cultures. In the United States of America, the country that is our neighbor to the north, they also celebrate cinco de mayo in a very important way. Latinos, Chicanos and various communities of Mexican origin have adopted this national holiday as an opportunity for celebrating their roots, defending their customs and the richness of their culture. In cities with a lot of Hispanic people, big fiestas are held with food, music, dancing, art, handicrafts, and this is an excellent way to reaffirm and share what's best in our culture.

For more information click here.


The illustrations were taken from the book: Porfirio Díaz, "La Guerra" by Enrique Krauze and Fausto Zerón Medina. Clío Editions.

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