Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo • Cinco de Mayo IS NOT Mexico’s

Independence Day. • *Mexico’s Independence day is

celebrated on September 16th

• Rather, Cinco de Mayo celebrates an important battle won by Mexico against the French.

• It is celebrated in Mexico and the United States.

Independence:

After an 11 year fight, Mexico won its independence from

Spain in 1821

Cinco de Mayo - Leading towards war

• Mexico then went through 40 years of internal power struggles and rebellions.

• By 1861 the country’s finances were so bad that the nation owed 80 million pesos in foreign debts.

• Mexico’s president, Benito Juarez, pledged to pay off these debts eventually but, as an emergency measure, he suspended all payment for two years.

• In France, Napoleon III saw this as an opportunity to establish French colonies in Latin America.

Cinco de Mayo - The War of the French Intervention

• Much debt was owed to France.

• France sent troops to México to secure payment of it’s debt, and to try to colonize in Mexico.

• French troops invaded Mexico in an attempt to install Maximilian as Emperor of Mexico

1862 = Batalla de Puebla

Cinco de Mayo - Battle of Puebla

In this historic battle, their were only 2,000 Mexican soldiers, and France had 6,000

• Mexico, despite its odds, won the battle!

• Less than 100 Mexican soldiers died, while about 500 French solders were killed.

Benito Juarez• From January of 1858,

Juarez served as president of Mexico until July 18, 1872 – more than 15 years.

• He led his country through some of its most difficult years, notably the La Reforma (1857-1860) and French intervention (1861-1867) periods.

• His birthday – March 21 – is a national holiday in Mexico.

General Ignacio Zaragoza

• (1829-1862) – Helped to overthrow the dictatorial Mexican president Antonio López de Santa Anna in 1855.

• Served as Minister of the Army and Navy under President Benito Juarez between April and December, 1861, but resigned to take command of the Mexican army opposing the French invasion.

• He defeated French General Count de Lorencez at the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

General Porfirio Diaz• He helped overthrow of Santa

Anna’s dictatorship on August 12, 1855, and distinguished himself in the War of the Reform (1857-1860), fighting for the Liberal party.

• During the French intervention, he continued his distinguished career, fighting in the battle of Puebla and elsewhere until the Mexicans prevailed

Emperor Napoleon III • (1808-1873) – born April 21,

1808 in Paris.

• As the nephew of Napoléon Bonaparte, Louis Napoleon believed that he was the rightful heir to the French throne.

• In 1861, Napoleon III plotted to carve out a French empire in Mexico.

• When Mexico was forced to suspend payments on its foreign debts, France, Great Britain and Spain landed an expeditionary force at Vera Cruz.

Cinco de Mayo and the U.S.

Cinco de Mayo was made popular in the U.S. during the Chicano Movement

Cinco de Mayo and the U.S.

• Many Chicanos associate the Batalla de Puebla and the struggles of overcoming great odds and trials with their struggles of immigration, etc.

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4xOggdATW8

Cinco de Mayo - References

• Images http://www.nevadaobserver.com/Archive/040501/Featurestory.htm

• http://www.elbalero.gob.mx/kids/history/html/sxix/imperio.html

• Santa Anna http://www2.worldbook.com/wc/popup?path=features/cinco&page=html/santa_anna.htm&direct=yes

• 1821 Mexican America n War http://thenaturalamerican.com/mexican_american_war.htm