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DID YOU KNOW?
FACTS & FICTION WITH A MEXICAN TWIST
MAY 2006Did you know that...
...Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) is celebrated much more widely in the U.S. than in Mexico?
Of the many battles fought on Mexican soil in the nineteenth century, only one - the Battle of Puebla, fought on May 5, 1862 - has given rise to a Mexican national holiday. Why this one? The main reason is that the Battle of Puebla marks Mexico's only major military success since independence from Spain in 1821... The first French invasion, the so-called Pastry War in 1838, lasted only a few days./P
A decade later, U.S. troops entered Mexico City, and Mexico was forced to cede Texas, New Mexico and (Upper) California - in all, some 2 million square kilometers (half its territory) - in exchange for 15 million pesos.
In 1857, Mexico proclaimed a new constitution. This incorporated the Ley Juárez (which established equality before the law) and the Ley Lerdo (which forced the sale of property owned, but not directly used by, the church or local governments).
The Reform War
This led to the Reform War (1858-60) between the liberals, led by Benito Juárez, who supported the new constitution, and the conservatives... On July 17, 1861, the Juárez administration, desperate to avoid bankruptcy, decreed a suspension of all payments on its foreign debt for two years. The vote was approved by the Mexican Congress by a single vote. The foreign powers were furious. Three months later, Britain, France and Spain decided to jointly seize the port of Veracruz on Mexico's Gulf coast and obtain payment by force. In December, 6,000 Spanish soldiers landed, joined a month later by 7,000 British marines and 2,000 French troops. At this point, France demanded that Mexico repay 12 million pesos, an absurdly large sum, and one well beyond Mexico's means. Juárez negotiated and, satisfied that their demands would be met, England and Spain withdrew. France, however, had other ideas...
The Battle of Puebla, May 5, 1862 
The events of 5/05
On the Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) 1862, Zaragoza ordered his commanders – Generals Felipe B. Berriozabal, Porfirio Díaz, Félix Díaz, Miguel Negrete and Francisco de Lamadrid - to repel the invaders at all costs. The French launched a brief artillery bombardment, but then found that the uneven field where the fighting was taking lace had become so muddy from heavy unseasonable downpours that maneuvering their heavy weapons was very difficult. Bullets rained down on them from Mexican troops... A crack European army had been soundly defeated by a motley collection of machete-wielding peasants from the war-torn republic of Mexico... On May 9, 1862, President Juárez declared that henceforth the Cinco de Mayo, the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, was to be a national holiday...
Read the complete article, with more pictures . . .
Did You Know Index
Text © Copyright 2006 by Tony Burton. All rights reserved.
- - - Sombrero Books Page
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