Chill and Gab, with geomates in your area. Come by and say, "Hello!" at this simple event.
A Short History of Cinco de Mayo
In the 1860s, the French wanted to establish a French state in Mexico. Mexican President Benito Juárez immediately resisted Napoleon III’s French forces, blocking the advances in the fortified city of Puebla, where French commanders had ordered an assault.
Led by General Ignacio Zaragoza, the Mexican forces defeated the French at the Battle of Puebla. Despite being ill-equipped and outnumbered, the Mexican troops held off the French advances, thanks to the positioning of hilltop forts Loreto and Guadalupe and a deep trench. The battle, where hundreds of French troops and less than 100 Mexicans were killed, lasted less than a day.
This battle was part of a French offensive to expand France’s empire in the New World. After a brutal civil war, Mexican leader Benito Juárez suspended foreign debt payments. In response, Spain, France, and England sent forces to Mexico, but only France undertook significant military action.
While the war with France was far from over, following Mexico’s victory at the Battle of Puebla, it was seen as a symbol of the Mexican resistance against foreign domination. The city was later renamed Puebla de Zaragoza, a museum devoted to the battle’s historical significance, and the battlefield is maintained as a park.
