Sourced from UCLA's Chicana/o Latina/o thru Networking website.
Cinco de Mayo is a date of great importance for the Mexican and Chicano communities. It marks the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla. Although the Mexican army was eventually defeated, the "Batalla de Puebla" came to represent a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism. With this victory, Mexico demonstrated to the world that Mexico and all of Latin America were willing to defend themselves of any foreign intervention. Especially those from imperialist states bent on world conquest.
Cinco de Mayo's history has its
roots in the French Occupation of Mexico. The French occupation took shape in
the aftermath of the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. With this war, Mexico
entered a period of national crisis during the 1850's. Years of not only
fighting the Americans but also a Civil War, had left Mexico devastated and
bankrupt. On July 17, 1861, President Benito Juarez issued a moratorium in
which all foreign debt payments would be suspended for a brief period of two
years, with the promise that after this period, payments would resume.
The English, Spanish and French
refused to allow president Juarez to do this, and instead decided to invade
Mexico and get payments by whatever means necessary. The Spanish and English
eventually withdrew, but the French refused to leave. Their intention was to
create an Empire in Mexico under Napoleon III. Some have argued that the true
French occupation was a response to growing American power and to the Monroe
Doctrine (America for the Americans). Napoleon III believed that if the United
States was allowed to prosper indiscriminately, it would eventually become a
power in and of itself.
In 1862, the French army began its
advance. Under General Ignacio Zaragoza, 5,000 ill-equipped Mestizo and Zapotec
Indians defeated the French army in what came to be known as the "Batalla
de Puebla" on the fifth of May.
In the United States, the "Batalla de
Puebla" came to be known as simply "Cinco de Mayo" and
unfortunately, many people wrongly equate it with Mexican Independence which
was on September 16, 1810, nearly a fifty year difference. Over, the years
Cinco de Mayo has become very commercialized and many people see this holiday
as a time for fun and dance. Oddly enough, Cinco de Mayo has become more of
Chicano holiday than a Mexican one. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on a much
larger scale here in the United States but it is regionally celebrated in Mexico in the State of Puebla.
PUEBLA
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Popocatépetl Volcano |
Puebla is one of Mexico’s most beautiful cities; nicknamed “The Shrine of America” due to its architectural beauty, the city of Puebla was, according to legend, created and laid-out by angels, to be enjoyed by mortals.
Why did it receive this distinction?
For its magnificent monuments of Spanish colonial architecture, which have earned Puebla the distinction of Heritage City.
Because it is a religious center par excellence, the Heroic Puebla de Zaragoza was the first place where the Spanish conquerors settled in the region.
What to do?
Visit its central streets among buildings, façades, gardens and balconies which reflect the history and the passing years.
In the evening, go for a walk in the so called Angelopolis, which has a wide range of cafes, bars and nightclubs. Go to the Plaza de los Sapos (Square of Toads) where you will enjoy a musical night to the sound of the traditional mariachi, enjoying the beauty of the place.
You must visit
The Palafoxiana Library, the Cathedral of Puebla, the Casa del Alfeñique Museum, City Hall, the Amparo Regional Museum and Cholula.
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| Casa del Alfeñique |
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