Cinco de Mayo, now a day of parades, festivities, dancing, mariachi bands, folklorico and feasts of traditional foods for peoples of Mexican heritage in both Mexico and the United States, was actually a day of victory for a small, ill-equipped militia under the direction of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin in 1862.

Mexico gained it’s independence from Spain on September 16, 1810. Following the country’s independence, an era of internal political takeovers and wars, (the Mexican-American War from 1846-1848 and the Mexican Civil War of 1858), devastated the national economy and put Mexico into a period of extreme national crisis. Mexico borrowed heavily from the United States, England, Spain and France. As a solution for his bankrupt country, President Benito Juarez issued a moratorium on all foreign debt payments for two year, starting on July 17, 1861.

Refusing this solution, the English, Spanish and French took this as an opportunity to invade Mexico. Eventually the Spanish and English withdrew but the French, intending to create an Empire in Mexico ruled by Napoleon III, stayed on. It is believed by some that the French were so concerned about the growth of the United States, that they felt occupying Mexico was one way to keep the United States from becoming a world power.

In 1862 the French army invaded the Gulf coast of Mexico and marched toward Mexico City. The army encountered strong resistance at the Mexican forts of Loreto and Guadalupe. On May 5, at Puebla, a small but fierce militia of about 4500, lead by General Seguin, defeated the superior French army of 6500. The victory was a glorious moment for Mexican patriots and is the origin of today’s Cinco De Mayo celebration.

Mexico’s, victory was short lived however, as Napoleon sent 30,000 more troops to invade Mexico again - against the wishes of the people of France. A year later the French deposed the Mexican army, took over Mexico City and installed Maximilian as the ruler of Mexico. Maximilian’s rule was also short lived (from 1864 to 1867) ending as the U.S.-now recovering from its own civil war and under the guidance of Abraham Lincoln who is still honored in Mexico today - began to provide political and military assistance to Mexico to expel the French.

Today, though there is recognition of the holiday throughout the whole country, particularly in the state of Puebla, Cinco de Mayo is more vigorously celebrated in the United States. Although the Mexican army was eventually defeated, the "Batalla de Puebla" came to represent a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism demonstrating to the world that Mexico was willing to defend itself against foreign intervention.