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The Mexican holiday known as "Cinco
de Mayo" is widely misconstrued in this country, even by people
of Mexican descent. Other people do not seem to care about the origin
and cultural significance of Cinco de Mayo, they simply see it as
an opportunity to go out and get drunk on Mexican beer at reduced prices.
Despite its commercialization, this holiday is of importance to
many people. This writing will attempt to clarify the meaning of
this holiday and return some significance to a day that has lost most of
it to the advertisement industry of this country.
The biggest misconception about Cinco
de Mayo is that it commemorates of México's Independence
Day. That holiday is, in fact, celebrated on September 16. On
that date back in 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo issued a proclamation
known as "El Grito de Dolores" that united the many different
rebellions going on against Spain into one cohesive struggle. México
achieved its independence from Spanish rule in 1821. Cinco de
Mayo is actually a commemoration of a victory by Mexican troops in
La Batalla de Puebla more that fifty years later, on May 5, 1862.
From the time of Mexican Independence in
1821 to the time of this battle in 1862, México suffered
numerous setbacks in its attempts to form a stable republic, and endured
several incursions into its sovereignty as an independent nation. Fifteen
years into its independence, Texas seceded from México. The
Texas Revolt was led by "American-Mexicans," Anglos who immigrated
from the United States to México, promising to obey Mexican
laws and respect Mexican traditions. This revolt eventually led to
the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), a war won by the U. S. As a
result, México was forced to surrender approximately half
of its territory to the U. S. México, which had never
been financially stable, underwent a severe economic crisis during the
1850s.
President Benito Juárez inherited
México's troubled political and financial situation, which
included a bankrupt Mexican treasury. As a result of these problems,
President Juárez issued a moratorium in 1861 halting payments
on Mexican foreign debt. Much of this debt was owed to France.
Shortly thereafter, France sent troops to México to secure
payment of its debt.
At the time, the French Army of Napoleon
III was considered the premier army in the world. It had enjoyed
recent victories throughout Europe and Asia. The French expected
to march form the port city of Veracruz to Mexico City without encountering
much resistance. President Juárez sent troops, under
the command of General Ignacio Zaragosa, to Puebla to confront
the French. The Mexican troops consisted almost entirely of indigenous
soldiers, much like today. General Zaragosa's troops, outnumbered
4,700 to 5,200, were severely under-equipped. La Batalla de Puebla
raged on for two hours, after which time the French were forced to retreat
to Orizaba. Despite tremendous odds, the humble Mexican Army
defeated the most powerful fighting unit in the world!
One year after La Batalla de Puebla,
the French brought in more troops and re-attacked. This time they
were able to make their way to Mexico City, take the capital, and install
Emperor Maximilian of Hapsburg as the reigning monarch of México.
Maximilian ruled México for about four years, until his execution
in 1867 by troops loyal to President Juárez, who regained
power.
Although La Batalla de Puebla on Cinco
de Mayo was rendered militarily insignificant by the French's subsequent
victory, it did inject the Mexican people with pride and patriotism it
had never before enjoyed. Since its independence from Spain in 1821,
México had suffered one tragedy after another. La
Batalla de Puebla was the first time that the Mexican pueblo could
rally around a common cause and proudly proclaim, «¡Yo soy
Mexicano!»
Cinco de Mayo is not celebrated in México
to the same extent that it is by Chicanos in the U. S., mainly because
El 16 de septiembre is seen as the more important holiday. The
reason that Chicanos celebrated the holiday is that we appreciate its cultural
significance (victory in the face of great odds and the patriotism it generated)
more that its historical relevance. Also, General Ignacio Zaragosa,
the leader at La Batalla de Puebla, was born in Texas while it was
still part of México. For this reason, he is considered
by many to be the first Chicano hero. Some scholars, including José
Antonio Burciaga, believe that had the French defeated México
at Puebla, France would have aided the South in the American Civil
War in order to free Southern ports of the Union Blockade. During
this time, Confederate General Robert E. Lee was enjoying success, and
French intervention could have had an impact on the Civil War. It
seems that even people not of Mexican descent may also have an indirect
reason to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Whatever the case may be,
people should realize that this holiday does have some historical and cultural
significance to millions of people and that not everyone considers it an
excuse to go out and party.
© 1996 Ignacio González
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