Cinco De Mayo

I came to class today and my Spanish II and I students were all geared up to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.  Somewhere in their little minds they had decided that Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is the equivalent to our July 4th. We went over this day in great detail during our Mexico unit and I thought they had grasped the concept....obviously they did not.  So today....once more....I told them about the day.....Cinco de Mayo!  It is celebrated in the United States, and in Mexico primarily in the state of Puebla^, where the holiday is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla).  It originated with Mexican-American communities in the American West as a way to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War, and today the date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. In the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.  The Battle of Puebla was important for at least two reasons. First, although considerably outnumbered, the Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army. "This battle was significant in that the 4,000 Mexican soldiers were greatly outnumbered by the well-equipped French army of 8,000 that had not been defeated for almost 50 years."  Second, since the Battle of Puebla, no country in the Americas has subsequently been invaded by any other European military force.  Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day—the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico—which is celebrated on September 16.

 So tonight....eat some Mexican, Tex-Mex, whatever and remember this hard fought battle.  Feliz Cinco de Mayo a ti!