What you know about Cinco de May is only half the story. It is also known as the great mayonnaise mess.

Most people don’t know that back in 1912, Hellmann’s mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, México, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York. This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to México. But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost.

The people of México, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day. The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as Sinko de Mayo.

Fooled ya!

Cinco de Mayo is often mistaken for México’s Independence Day, here in the US. México’s Independence Day is celebrated on September 16 because it was day that Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, in the small town of Dolores, in the state of Guanajuato, rang the church bell and made the call to retaliate against the Spanish. Every year at midnight on September 15, Mexicans led by the president of México shout the Grito, honoring the crucial and impulsive action that was the catalyst for the country’s bloody struggle for independence from Spain.

Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of the victory of the Mexican Army, led by Texas-born General Ignacio Zaragoza, over the French expeditionary forces in the “Batalla de Puebla” (Battle of Puebla) on May 5, 1862. On that morning, history was written that continues to serve as a reminder that with patriotism, valor and pride, one will overcome any and all obstacles. Cinco de Mayo is a day of great importance for the Mexican and Chicano communities. The victory was viewed as a symbol that proved to the world that national sovereignty would not be compromised. Especially those from imperialist states hell bent on world conquest.

The historical background leading to French intervention took shape in the aftermath of the Mexico-US War of 1846-48. As a result, México lost two-thirds of its territory to the north what is now known as the southwest region of the United States. The “Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo”, which settled the war with fifteen million dollars in payment for the annexed lands.

Much like todays war in Iraq, many felt that the war with México was an “unjust war.” Freshman House member and future President Abraham Lincoln. He spoke against the war and accused President James Polk’s motive as a desire for “military glory - that attractive rainbow, that rises in showers of blood.” In his speech to Congress, Lincoln said:

“God of Heaven has forgotten to defend the weak and innocent, and permitted the strong band of murderers and demons from hell to kill men, women, and children, and lay waste and pillage the land of the just.”

Both Former President Adams and Lincoln, worked together in 1848 as members of the House of Representatives, to expose the fraud of the US war against Mexico. Former President John Quincy Adams described the war as a southern expedition to find “bigger pens to cram with slaves.”

Like Iraq today, México entered a period of national crisis during the 1850s. Years of not only fighting the Americans but also a Civil War, had left México devastated and bankrupt. In 1861, the newly elected democratic President Benito Juarez issued a moratorium to defer their debts for two years, with the commitment to start making payments after that period.

On October 31, 1861, Queen Isabella II of Spain, Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Emperor Napoleón III of the Second French Empire refused the request, so they sent their troops to México to collect their debts. The English and Spanish quickly made deals with Juarez and left. The French had other ideas. A month after the Spanish and British withdrawal, France brought 4,500 troops and began marching inland on its war of occupation. Their intention was to dispose of the Mexican Constitutional Government and create an Empire in Mexico under Napoleon III, who also detested the growing power in the US because Napoleon III believed that the US would eventually become a power in and of itself if left unchallenged. At that time the US had already entered into the American Civil War (1861–1865). Not may people realize, Napoleon III came very close to officially recognizing the Confederacy and was driven by a desire to keep the Union split. All through 1862, Napoleon III entertained Confederate diplomats, raising hopes that he would unilaterally recognize the Confederacy. Napoleon III also had plans to impose a monarchical government upon the nations of Central and South America. By doing this, France would have been able to provide raw materials and trade for the European nations as well as put the US in check.

Napoleon III had help by the plutocratic and conservative landowners of Mexico who feared loss of land and political power to the newly elected constitutional government of Benito Juárez. In 1862, Napoleon III began to advance by sending his army of the Second French Empire into Mexico. Napoleon III planed to seat Maximilian I, a Hapsburg prince, as Emperor of the new Mexican empire. The French Army had never lost a battle in 50 years, and with this belief, they invaded Mexico. The French Army was equipment with modern weaponry and with a newly reconstituted Foreign Legion. Historians believe the French established the monarchy, especially since the US was already in its own Civil War.

At this time, President Juárez (a full blooded Zapotec Indian) was already taking countermeasures. President Juárez commanded General Ignacio Zaragoza to block the advance of the French Army at the fortified hills of Loreto and Guadalupe by the city of Puebla. Under the command of General Zaragoza, the Mexicans awaited with 5,000 ill-equipped Mestizo and Zapotec Indians. On May 5, 1862, General Zaragoza beat back repeated French assaults and ended up defeating the French army in Puebla, which is now known as the “Batalla de Puebla.” Before the day was over, more than a thousand French soldiers were dead.

General US Grant told President Lincoln in 1865 that the Civil War would not have been over if the French continued to stay in Mexico. The 1962 Mexican victory did contribute to the Union victory in our Civil War. If not, Napoleon III would have continued to supply weapons to the Confederate Army, and American history would have been different.

The French defeat by Mexicans on the 5th of May kept the French from supplying the rebel Confederacy with massive cannonry and munitions. Superior Union numbers and soldiery combined with a lack of cannon and munitions to defeat the Confederate Army of General Robert E. Lee at the four-day July 1863 battle of Gettysburg. This Pennsylvania battle assured the total defeat of the Southern rebels and the continued existence of the United States of America.

Once the Civil War ended, President Abraham Lincoln turned his attention and American resources to help Mexico throw out the French Army. He personally ordered General Sheridan to Texas to help the Mexicans.

The importance “Cinco de Mayo” is not that it only memorializes a historical event, but it is a cultural emergence coupled with a history that has taken place that defines who we are as Latinas/as. The significance of the Battle is not about who won or lost, nor is it about a battle that took place in Mexico or how it indirectly helped the Union win, it is about respect. It is respect for those, the mestizos and Zapotecs, who were often taken for granted, ignored and without any resources other than their patriotism, which has helped defined a moment in Latino history.

The victory at Puebla does have specific meaning to me because it is about putting a spotlight on my heritage as a mestizo and how we took part in shaping the course of history for both Mexico and the US. Even though I am born in the United States and have nothing to do with Mexico, I cannot ignore my Mexican familial roots and their role in Mexican history, as I also cannot ignore my American familial roots and their role in shaping the US.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Related posts

• Reflecting Cinco de Mayo (4)

Tags: Battle of Puebla, Cinco de Mayo |  Print This Post |
functional