5 de Mayo

 For any of you that don't really know what 5 de Mayo is and think that is Mexico's Independence Day; here is the real thing. Enjoy.


Cinco de Mayo has its roots in the French Occupation of Mexico. The French occupation took place in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War of 1846-48, the Mexican Civil War of 1858, and the 1860 Reform Wars. These wars left the Mexican Treasury in ruin and nearly bankrupt. On July 17, 1861, Mexican President Benito Juárez issued a moratorium in which all foreign debt payments would be suspended for two years, with the promise that after this period, payments would resume.
In response, France, Britain, and Spain sent naval forces to Veracruz to demand reimbursement. Britain and Spain negotiated with Mexico and withdrew, but France, at the time ruled by Napoleon III, decided to use the opportunity to establish an empire on Mexican territory. Late in 1861, a well-armed French fleet stormed Veracruz, landing a large French force and driving President Juárez and his government into retreat.
Moving on from Veracruz towards Mexico City, the French army encountered heavy resistance from the Mexicans near Puebla, at the Mexican forts of Loreto and Guadalupe. The 8,000-strong French army attacked the much poorer equipped Mexican army of 4,000. Yet the Mexicans managed to decisively crush the French army, the best army at the time, and one that had not been defeated for almost 50 years.
The victory represented a significant morale boost to the Mexican army and the Mexican people at large. "It was a glorious moment for Mexico." It helped establish a much-needed sense of national unity and patriotism. The Mexican victory, however, was short-lived. Thirty thousand troops and a full year later, the French were able to depose the Mexican army, captured Mexico City, and established Emperor Maximilian I as ruler of Mexico. However, the French victory was also short-lived, lasting only 3 years, from 1864 to 1867. With the U.S. Civil War over in 1865, the U.S. started to provide more assistance to Mexico to expel the French, after which Maximilian was executed by the Mexicans, along with his Mexican generals Miramón and Mejía, in the Cerro de las Campanas, Queretaro.

Some historians have argued that France's real goal was to help break up the American Union (In other words Mexican soldiers save American soldiers bummer).
In the United States Cinco de Mayo has taken on a significance beyond that in Mexico.
The date is perhaps best recognized in the United States as a date to celebrate the culture and experiences of Americans of Mexican ancestry,.