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History
Cinco de Mayo
This clip explains the history behind the holiday known as Cinco de Mayo and dispels misconceptions that the holiday celebrates Mexican independence.
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Video Transcript
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Cinco de Mayo or the fifth of May in English is a celebration of Mexican heritage over the years
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many people have come to believe that it marks the day of Mexico's independence
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and that's
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well just wrong
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the 19th century was particularly brutal for Mexico
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after a bloody struggle to win its independence from Spain in 1821 the fledgling country fought America from 1846 to 1847
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then a Civil War beginning in
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57
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these conflicts left Mexico's economy ruined
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and it's Army exhausted
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the nation had accumulated War debt and just couldn't repay its European backers
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Mexican president Benito Juarez declared a two-year suspension on its loans
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that news didn't sit well with England Spain and France
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so in 1861
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those Nations planned an invasion
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but France wasn't out for just reimbursement Napoleon the third
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wanted to overthrow the
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government
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and install a French monarch in the Western Hemisphere
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when England and Spain realized Frances true intent they withdrew support
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Napoleon believe that Mexico was too weak to defend itself against his Superior military
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in 1862
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over 6,000 French troops landed at Veracruz and headed toward Mexico City
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but a surprise was waiting
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Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza
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and a few thousand militiamen
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waited behind fortified walls in the city
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a of Puebla
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the French marched into town on the 5th of May
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the outnumbered Mexicans opened fire
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killing 1000 French troops
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after a two-hour battle the remaining French
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retreated
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word of the victory spread throughout Mexico
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and Zaragoza became a national hero
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later that year
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the city of Puebla was renamed Puebla de Zaragoza
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and Cinco de Mayo was decreed a national holiday
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but Napoleon wasn't celebrated
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upon hearing the his armies defeat he sent 30,000 more troops to Mexico
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within a year
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the Mexican Army was crushed and Napoleon installed his Austrian cousin Archduke Maximilian as the nation's leader
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maximilian's rule was shaky from the start
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most Mexicans were still emboldened by the Cinco de Mayo Victory and celebrated the holiday with songs and dance while under French occupation Mexico's
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future president Porfirio
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Tod as led an uprising in 1867
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that finally overthrew the French army
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Maximilian was shot and killed
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his bullet-riddled shirt is still on display in Mexico City
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Cinco de Mayo had become Mexico's rallying cry
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people remembered it with feasts
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mariachi music dancing and picnics
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the celebration continues today
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both North and South of the Border
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in fact commercial interests in the United States
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have made Cinco de Mayo
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so very festive even though many people aren't aware
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that the holiday is a tribute to General Zaragoza and his Nations resistance against foreign domination
