Cinco de Mayo

Battle of Puebla, Anonymous

For those of you who don't speak Spanish, Cinco de Mayo falls on May 5 this year, as it does most years, if not nearly every year. Contrary to common word-of-mouth that thankfully no longer infects the increasingly prestigious internet, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day, which rolls around this September. Instead, it celebrates the Battle of Puebla, at which the forces of General Ignacio Zaragoza routed the French army on May 5, 1862.

In the mid-nineteenth century, Mexico was dead broke from two civil wars and Mexican President Benito Juarez stubbornly refused to pay his foreign debts. Britain, France, and Spain and didn't like this attitude and sent their naval collection agencies to Veracruz in 1861 to make him pay up. But six months later, Britain and Spain bailed and left the French on their own. Meanwhile, Abe Lincoln was preoccupied with a civil war of his own, and not inclined to intervene in any mischief down souther south. Napoleon III thought he'd just take a little advantage of that and landed a large force at Veracruz, and began a march toward Mexico City to make Mexico his own colonial conquest.

On their way they encountered trouble. His name was General Zaragoza. He hailed the French down at Puebla, which is about 85 miles east of the capitol. Although he was outnumbered two-to-one (some say three-to-one), Zaragoza toppled the advancing French like Chuck Norris taking out Kermit the Frog with a roundhouse kick.  How did he do it? He told is rag-tag soldiers to visualize the French phalanx as piñatas filled with frogs. Then they just whacked the holy mole out of them. Or maybe that's not exactly the way it happened. Don't ask me. I'm not a military historian.

It was a brilliant shot in the arm for the Mexicans. It didn't seem to do them a lot of good though, as the French eventually captured Mexico City, installed a new ruler and established the "Second Mexican Empire," which lasted until 1867.

I just wanted you to know that this is what your margarita and tacos are all about this Tuesday. At least theoretically. I'll bet you don't really give a rolling tortilla about all this history stuff, but there you go anyway. Happy Cinco de Mayo!
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