The fifth of May celebrates the Battle of Puebla in the Franco-Mexican War. The conflict started when Mexico defaulted on debt payments to France, England and Spain. England and Spain negotiated the debt, but France determined it should instead try to expand its empire into the New World.
It was on this date in 1862 when 6,000 French forces sent by Napoleon III stormed a ragged army of 2,000 men loyal to President Benito Juarez. The French lost 500 men; the Mexicans lost less than 100. The symbolic victory shored up the cause and Mexico held on until a treaty was reached in 1867.
The day is far more widely celebrated in the U.S. than elsewhere. Here, it has morphed
into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage, especially in areas with large Mexican-American populations.
Those areas, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston traditionally have held parades, parties and street festivals with music, folk dance and traditional Mexican cuisine. This year, of course, those celebrations are curtailed or eliminated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cinco de Mayo is not, however, the date of Mexican Independence. That day was more than 50 years earlier, on Sept. 16, 1810 when the movement against the Spanish colonial government began, similar to the Declaration of Independence in the United States.
Connie Burcham can be reached at Editor@WatongaRepublican.com