Seven Things You May Not Know About Cinco de Mayo

[Pages:4]Seven Things You May Not Know About Cinco de Mayo

By Jesse Greenspan, on 05.04.17 Word Count 885 Level MAX

Children participate in a 2014 Cinco de Mayo celebration organized by the Committee for Awareness of Mexican-American Culture at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Photo by: CAMAC/Flickr.

Cinco de Mayo has become enormously popular in the United States, often serving as a reason to throw a "gran fiesta." Yet, despite its ubiquity, the holiday remains widely misunderstood. In fact, many people still falsely believe it is Mexico's independence day, rather than a celebration of the undermanned Mexican army's 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla. To mark that event's anniversary, here are seven other things you may not know about Cinco de Mayo's origins.

1. Mexico had just gotten over a civil war in 1862

The so-called War of Reform broke out in 1858 soon after liberals drafted a new constitution aimed at reducing the power and influence of the Catholic Church. During the armed conflict, Mexico had two governments: a conservative one in Mexico City led by General F?lix Zuloaga and a liberal one in Veracruz led by Benito Ju?rez, president of the supreme court. The conservatives, who had the support of the pope, won a series of initial skirmishes, but the liberals controlled the ports and were therefore better able to equip their troops. They emerged victorious in January

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1861 when they retook Mexico City. The country remained starkly divided, however, with conservatives plotting their revenge.

2. European troops invaded because Mexico was broke

After the War of Reform, Mexico had virtually no money in its treasury and owed tens of millions of dollars to foreign debtors. The sale of expropriated church property brought very little relief. As a result, newly elected President Ju?rez suspended payment of all foreign debt for two years, a move that prompted an immediate backlash from Spain, France and Great Britain. With the United States too consumed by the Civil War to enforce the Monroe Doctrine, troops from those three European powers began arriving in Veracruz in late 1861. Spain and Great Britain almost immediately withdrew, but about 6,000 French troops pushed inland toward the capital, backed by Mexico's vanquished conservative leaders.

3. France was considered extremely potent militarily when it attacked Mexico

In 1862, the French had one of the best armies in the world. Arriving at Puebla on May 4, they were coming off a series of victories in Southeast Asia and Northern Africa and were loaded with firepower, including long-range rifles that put the Mexicans' creaky muskets to shame. They were so overconfident, in fact, that they didn't even bother to properly prepare their artillery. On the morning of May 5, the French tried to intimidate the Mexicans with screeching bugle calls and advanced bayonet maneuvers. But after a full day of fighting, including three unsuccessful uphill charges, they were forced to retreat due to heavy casualties.

4. After losing the Battle of Puebla, France went on to win the war

Mexico's victory at Puebla slowed, but did not stop, France's assault. In the wake of the battle, an infuriated Emperor Napoleon III ordered that almost 30,000 more troops be sent to Mexico. This time around, under a new commander, they were able to overrun Puebla and easily conquer Mexico City. Ju?rez and his supporters then fled to the mountains to conduct guerilla operations while Napoleon III installed Ferdinand Maximilian von Habsburg, second in line to the AustroHungarian throne, as Mexico's ruler.

5. The French occupation of Mexico was short-lived

Back in France, Napoleon III was growing increasingly concerned that Prussia, fresh off victories against Denmark and Austria, would next try to reclaim the perpetually disputed territories of Alsace and Lorraine. Meanwhile, the Civil War had wrapped up, and U.S. officials were exerting diplomatic pressure on the French and supplying weapons to Ju?rez's army. With his coffers running low, Napoleon III decided in 1866 to end France's occupation of Mexico. Maximilian unwisely stayed and briefly fought on, surrendering only after his troops were routed at Quer?taro. On June 19, 1867, he and his top generals were executed by a firing squad.

6. Porfirio D?az began making a name for himself at Puebla

Porfirio D?az, Mexico's longest-serving president, was a relatively unknown cavalry commander until the Battle of Puebla, where he outflanked the French on their third charge and sent them into a disorderly retreat. Over the next few years, he won battles at Oaxaca and elsewhere. Following the war, however, D?az became so disillusioned with his one-time friend Ju?rez that he unsuccessfully ran for president against him. He later launched a couple of coup attempts, finally

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seizing power in 1876. Except for one four-year break, his reign lasted until 1911, when he was finally deposed by the Mexican Revolution.

7. Cinco de Mayo is more widely celebrated in parts of the United States than in Mexico

Ju?rez declared Cinco de Mayo a holiday immediately after the Battle of Puebla, but for many Mexicans it has always taken a backseat to such events as the September 16 Independence Day, which commemorates the start of hostilities against Spanish rule in 1810. In the United States, on the other hand, Cinco de Mayo gained traction during the 1960s, when Chicano activists began looking for a way to honor their history and culture. Today, the biggest Cinco de Mayo celebrations are held in U.S. cities with large Hispanic populations, such as Los Angeles, which every year attracts hundreds of thousands of people to its Fiesta Broadway festival.

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Quiz

1 2

3 4

According to the article, each of the following contributed to Napoleon III's decision to remove French troops from Mexico EXCEPT:

(A)

the United States' support of Ju?rez's army

(B)

Prussia's recent victories against Denmark and Austria

(C)

Mexico's defeat of the French army at the Battle of Puebla

(D)

France's dwindling funds to support the occupation of Mexico

Which sentence BEST summarizes how Cinco de Mayo has affected the United States?

(A)

Cinco de Mayo provided a way to honor Mexican-American history and culture and has become hugely

popular in many major U.S. cities.

(B)

Cinco de Mayo provided a way to honor Mexico's actions in gaining its independence from France and

is proudly celebrated by many in the U.S.

(C)

Cinco de Mayo became a tradition in the U.S. after France withdrew from Mexico in response to

pressure from the U.S.

(D)

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in a few U.S. cities with large Hispanic populations, but it is generally

overshadowed by Independence Day.

Which of the following options BEST describes the structure of the article?

(A)

The article states a number of common questions about Cinco de Mayo and then provides answers.

(B)

The article details Mexico's civil war and the resulting holiday, Cinco de Mayo.

(C)

The article provides a timeline of the history of Mexico's independence movement, ending with Cinco de

Mayo.

(D)

The article details the causes and effects of Mexico's conflict with France and how it led to Cinco de

Mayo.

Is the first paragraph an effective way to engage readers on the topic of Cinco de Mayo? Why or why not?

(A)

Yes, by referring to a "fiesta" in the first sentence, readers will be excited to learn how to properly

celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

(B)

Yes, by correcting a misconception and promising to reveal little- known facts about the holiday, readers

will be intrigued to learn more.

(C)

No, by incorporating a foreign language into the first paragraph, readers who do not speak Spanish will

be discouraged from reading further.

(D)

No, by correcting the most important misconception in the first paragraph, readers have no need to

continue reading the article.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at .

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