C E L E B R AT I N G R E S I L I E N C E
Cinco de Mayo BY GIOVAN J. MICHAEL
Today, Cinco de Mayo is a grand celebration of Mexican food, dance, and culture. Ironically, it
is a much larger holiday in the United States than it is in Mexico. That makes sense considering
the fates and cultures of these two great nations have always been intertwined.
In 1861, the United States and Mexico
were both in crisis. The U.S. was in the
first year of the Civil War, which would
become the bloodiest conflict in Amer-ican
history. After a war for its own
independence from Spain, a territorial
war against the U.S., and a civil war
against its own people, Mexico was in
economic ruin. Both nations were not
only exhausted but vulnerable to foreign
attacks.
Wounds were still healing between the
two countries, but they would soon learn
they had a common enemy in Europe: an
ambitious French emperor named Napo-leon
III. He was the nephew of Napoleon
General
Ignacio
Zaragoza
I and was eager to expand his realm. Not
in Europe like his uncle had done, but
in the vast and resource-rich North and
Central America. Napoleon, commander
of the most powerful and elite army in the
world, is said to have thought this would be an easy task.
President Abraham Lincoln and the Union recognized the
threat of a French invasion in Mexico. If Bonaparte could
take Mexico, then he would be more than happy to supply
the Confederate Army with weapons and soldiers. It was in
France’s best interests to help the South win the war and stop
the Union blockade that halted all foreign trade and stopped
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all but a few fledgling blockade runners.
But Lincoln’s hands were tied with
the Civil War. He was unable to enforce
the Monroe Doctrine, which forbade
European intervention in the Americas.
All he could do was focus on the war at
home and hope that Mexico could hold
off the coming French invasion and stop
Bonaparte from joining forces with the
Confederacy.
The invasion of Mexico began in
December 1861 and by the following
spring the French had conquered many
cities and were well on their way to the
capital. But to get to Mexico City the
French first had to march through the city
of Puebla, where they met General Igna-cio
Zaragoza and his small ragtag troupe.
Zaragoza’s army was inferior to
the French in training, resources and
numbers. Most of his militia weren’t
trained soldiers, but simple citizens fighting for home. Even
so, on May 5, 1862, Zaragoza and his men were able to
defeat the French and push them back. It was a decisive
victory and “¡Cinco de Mayo!,” or, Fifth of May, became a
popular battle cry for the Mexican people. To the north, the
Battle of Puebla was an inspiration to American people and
Union soldiers, especially those of Mexican descent.
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