Cinco de Mayo is seen today as a celebration of Mexican heritage and
culture across the United States, but hardly anyone knows the facts
about this day and why it is celebrated.
Few Americans know that Cinco de Mayo isn’t really celebrated in Mexico,
except for the western city of Puebla, where the battle of Puebla was
fought on May 5th 1862.
Cinco de Mayo has it’s roots in the French occupation of Mexico, which happened after the Mexican–American War of 1846–1848 and the 1858–61 Reform War. which pitted Liberals (who believed in separation of church and state and freedom of religion) against the Conservatives (who favored a tight bond between the Roman Catholic Church and the Mexican State
On July 17, 1861, Mexican President Benito Juárez issued a moratorium in which all foreign debt payments would be suspended for two years and in response, France, Britain, and Spain sent naval forces to demand reimbursement. Britain and Spain eventually withdrew, but France, at the time ruled by Napoleon III, decided to use the opportunity to establish an empire in Mexico that would favor French interests, the Second Mexican Empire.
In 1861, a well-armed French fleet stormed towards Mexico City, but encountered heavy resistance from the Mexicans close to Puebla. The 6,000-strong French army attacked the much smaller and poorly equipped Mexican army of 2,000. Yet, on May 5, 1862, the Mexicans managed to decisively crush the French army, then considered “the premier army in the world”
The Mexican army eventually lost other battles and an Empire was established from 1864 to 1867, with Austrian Prince Maximilian and Charlotte of Belgium being coronated as Emperor and Empress of Mexico. The wealthy aristocratic Mexican elite supported them but the Empire eventually failed and Mexico became independent again after Maximilian was executed.
Today, Cinco de Mayo in Mexico is simply remembered as the day of a
battle but celebrations include a small military parade in the city of
Puebla and not much more.
The holiday has taken off a lot more in the United States where it is used as a day to celebrate Mexican heritage and eat lots of Mexican food.
No comments:
Post a Comment