Page 3 - May 5, 2017 (2)

Happy

Cinco de Mayo

from Your friends at the

South Valley Reveiw

Cinco de Mayo (the Fifth of May) is a holiday celebrating the date of Mexico’s 1862 victory over
France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). The French army –
whom hadn’t lost a battle in over fifty years– greatly outnumbered the Mexican army. General
Ignacio Zaragoza led his troops to attack the French army in the small village of Puebla in hopes
of temporarily halting the French advancements towards Mexico City. This attack led to an
overwhelmingly unlikely Victory for the Mexican Army.

On September 16, 1862, President Juárez declared that the day of their grand victory at the Battle
of Puebla be an annual Holiday, making Cinco de Mayo a popular holiday in Mexico and in areas
where their is a large Mexican Population.

Although a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo has evolved and become widely
interpreted as a commemoration and celebration of Mexican culture and heritage in the United
States.

Chicano activists first raised awareness of the holiday in the 1960s partly due to their
identification with the victory of indigenous Mexicans (such as Juárez) over European invaders
during the Battle of Puebla. Today, participants mark the occasion with parades, parties, mariachi
music, Mexican folk dancing and traditional foods such as tacos and mole poblano. Some of the
largest Cinco de Mayo festivals are held in Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston.

In Mexico, most of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations that occur are in the town of Puebla where the
battle itself took place. This festival features a parade with participants dressing up as Mexican
and French soldiers, Vendors selling traditional Mexican foods as well as patriotic clothing and
accessories for the celebration, and, sometimes, a reenactment of the victory over the French
troops.