Cinco de Mayo celebrates battle of wills over might
by Diana De Leon, reporter

    Cinco de Mayo does not celebrate Mexico’s independence from Spain.

   Instead, the day celebrates the determination, courage and ingenuity of a people who fought a battle against all odds and won.
The French army was thought to be the best in the world and had not lost a battle in more than 50 years.

   The army landed at the port in Veracruz to collect payment on the debt that Mexico owed the French government.

   The Mexican-American War had depleted Mexico’s treasury and led its president Benito Juarez, to suspend payments of foreign debts for a period of two years.

   The French wanted their money immediately and planned to march their army to Mexico City, but they had to go through the city of Puebla first.

   On the morning of May 5, 1862, 4,000 of Mexico’s countrymen—many of them armed with machete—fought and defeated a French army of more than 8,000 well-trained and armed men.

   Mexico’s army was led by General Ignacio Zaragoza, who released a herd of stampeding cattle ahead of his infantrymen in an effort to disorient the French.

   The unusual maneuver worked, and the battle at the city of Puebla was won.

   This victory did not stop the French invasion of Mexico, but it was a turning point for Mexico and its people. It inspired hope throughout Mexico.

   The celebration of Cinco de Mayo started in small Mexican-American communities throughout America.

   Organized by various Mexican civic and social clubs, the celebration often included parades, dances and speeches on the importance of the day.

   During the 1960s and 1970s the celebration grew with the Mexican-American population in the United States.

   The event was a positive image of the Mexican people because the Mexican army won against the odds. They were bold and determined to win independence.

   A minority in the United States, the Hispanic people embraced a celebration that held their people in a good light.

   In the 1980s corporate America began to offer financial assistance to Cinco de Mayo events, and it quickly became an American holiday.

   Today, Hispanic communities around the country organize public celebrations of Cinco de Mayo for cultural and educational reasons.
Many events offer Mexican food, mariachi and conjunto music as well as folklorico dancers. Carnivals, crafts and artists are featured at larger celebrations.

   Mexico’s independence is celebrated on Sept. 16; the character of a people is celebrated May 5.