Why Cinco de Mayo Matters in Mexico, U.S.
Americans may be surprised to learn that Cinco de Mayo as they know it — a huge fiesta with mariachis and margaritas — originated in the United States, not Mexico. The first celebrations actually took place in California in 1863.
“Most celebrants are vaguely aware that it has something to do with a nineteenth-century victory against the French at the Battle of Puebla, but they are not at all clear on why it should be such an important holiday … especially since it is barely celebrated in Mexico itself,” notes David E. Hayes-Bautista, director of the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture, in a research paper published by Southern California Quarterly. “Virtually no one is aware that the holiday’s true origins in California date back to the early days of statehood, to the waning days of the gold rush, and to the beginning of the American Civil War.”
Frequently mistaken for Independence Day, Cinco de Mayo commemorates a somewhat miraculous military maneuver. Mexico, which was cash-strapped after its war with the United States, stopped paying its foreign debts. France’s ruler Napoleon III decided to collect with a land grab. In May 1862, some 6,000 French troops descended upon Puebla, only to be met with unexpected resistance from forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza. The Texas-born Mexican assembled a scrappy band of 4,000 soldiers, many of whom were farmhands armed with machetes — and presumably no match for their better-equipped rivals. Yet, from the well-positioned hilltop forts of Loreto and Guadalupe, they fended off the French for several days, stopping four attempts to take the city.
“At 6:00 on that eventful evening [May 5], the unthinkable happened: The French army, which had not been defeated since Waterloo fifty years earlier, was now unwilling to engage the aggressive Mexican army … and it ignominiously withdrew from the field, leaving the Mexican army in possession of Puebla,” Hayes-Bautista writes.
As news of the victory spread, via telegraph and Spanish-language newspapers, its impact in Mexico and California was profound.
“Up and down the state, Latinos savored the details of the gritty, gutsy Mexican soldiers who had stood their ground and (for the time being) saved the republic,” Hayes-Bautista explains. “Some writers feel that this one battle did more to foster a sense of Mexican nationalism than had independence in 1821 or the Constitution in 1857. Yet it was no less significant for the tens of thousands of Latinos living in far-away California, now part of another country.”
Zaragoza’s victory, unfortunately, was short-lived: The French returned with more troops and artillery and occupied the country a year later. Maximilian I ruled for five years before Mexican forces regained control and the emperor was executed under the orders of then-President Benito Juarez. Puebla and the rest of Mexico soon shifted its celebratory focus to Independence Day (Sept. 16). But the city — which the state renamed Heróica Puebla de Zaragoza in 1950 — still hosts an annual military parade. Cinco de Mayo’s significance has had a far more lasting impact in the United States, where for many people the holiday has evolved into a symbol of Latin American pride.
The 2011 Parade in Puebla
Some 26,000 students and teachers from 62 public and private schools are expected to march alongside 5,000 military troops and 60 decorative floats in the Puebla capital’s official Cinco de Mayo parade, which begins at 11 a.m. Thursday, according to local news outlets. The route essentially follows 5 de Mayo Boulevard from Plaza Dorada/Juarez Park to the Loreto and Guadalupe forts. President Felipe Calderón is expected attend. Arrive early to join the crowd; the 2010 parade ended prematurely due to the president’s early departure.
Photos of the 2011 parade are posted on All About Puebla’s Facebook page.
Originally posted May 4, 2010. Updated May 5, 2011.
Tags: Cinco de Mayo, Puebla
6 Responses to “Why Cinco de Mayo Matters in Mexico, U.S.”
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[...] the French. You’re probably familiar with the latter, especially if you’ve ever celebrated Cinco de Mayo; it was the Mexicans’ brief victory here that led to the state and US holiday. To re-enact it [...]
Nice to read this. Greetings from Mexico.
An outstanding write up. This battle was key to “distract” the French while the Americans resolved their Civil War. Maybe too much to assume, but it does sound very possible as it took the French a year to conquer Mexico city and by then the Civil War got resolved before the French could aid the Confederates against the US.
So, you’re post inspired us to dig a little deeper. We wrote a post similar to yours last year but today wanted more facts so we did a blog post about the discoveries! http://ow.ly/4P9y7 Loved your pictures from the Parade!!
Thanks, everyone, for your comments and support! I hope you’ll visit Puebla for the May 5, 2012 celebration, which will mark the 150th anniversary of the battle.
…and the commander of the republican forces, General Zaragoza, was born in Texas. Abraham Lincoln refused to recognized Maxmilian’s government and continued to recognize the government of President Benito Juarez. Juarez’ family stayed in New York City during the darkest days of Mexico’s war against the French and their puppet, Maximilian. The defeat reduced the amount of loans and materiel support furnished by the British and French to the Confederacy and caused both countries to reconsider official recognition. You could say that the Battle of Puebla was the most pivotal battle of the American Civil War!