By Patrick Connelly

“I love Cinco de Mayo!  Although I’m not Mexican, its great to celebrate Mexico’s independence from Spain!”

-unnamed gringo

Cinco de Mayo has spread beyond Mexico’s borders and is now celebrated with gaudy sombreros and tequila shots all over the western hemisphere and Europe.  It conveniently falls right about the end of college semesters in the U.S., further accelerating the popularity of an agave-plant fueled celebration.  But I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard gringos, with confidence that they are astutely informed and boasting their historical knowledge, explain how Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s independence day.  Independence from Spain.

Now, the historian in me (I got my MA in Latin American history) cringes at this completely, disgustingly wrong proclamation.  Its like saying the Fourth of July is the U.S.’s celebration of the end of the Civil War.  But my inner snobbish history junkie usually stays quiet, not only to avoid embarrassing the ill-informed gringo but also because an explanation of the real meaning of Cinco de Mayo, complete with civil strife, Napoleon complexes (literally!), and an Austrian that falls in love with Mexican culture is quite a rambling tale.  But alas this, LatinWorld readers, is my chance to set the record straight without boring anyone to death at a bar.

Liberal leader Benito Juarez

Mexico in the middle of the 19th century was a place of turmoil and social uprisings (good to note that the U.S. was also having some minor problems…).  The poor, representing a significant majority of the Mexican population, had been gaining political strength since the 1840’s and by the latter part of the 1850’s were a real threat to the ruling conservative party and Catholic church.  To appease the growing unrest, liberal hero Benito Juarez was made vice-president under conservative president Ignacio Comonfort.  The idea backfired as Juarez turned out to be a real firebrand.  In 1957 the military abolished the Constitution, giving President Comonfort total power; however, in a strange twist in Latin American history, Comonfort refused to follow along with his own allies in the military and fled the country.

Mexico was thrown into chaos.  The ruling conservatives, with the backing of the Church, ruled with an iron fist.  The liberals, led by Benito Juarez, mounted a resistance and the War of Reform broke out in late 1857.  Over the next 4 years power shifted back and forth between the two sides and the Mexican economy collapsed.  In the end the liberals were triumphant and Juarez became president in 1861.

As stated before, the economy was in shambles.  And, as the name of the war indicates, Juarez was intent on radical social and economical reforms.  To stabilize Mexico the new president suspended interest payments on loans Mexico had with various European countries.  These loans were numerous and quite large, and France, England, and Spain were less than happy about the decision.  They banded together to force Juarez to pay up; military excursions by the three countries actually landed in Mexico.  However, it was quickly realized that France had imperialistic motives in Mexico and England and Spain withdrew.

France was ruled by Emperor Napoleon III, nephew of the great Napoleon Bonaparte.  With enormous shoes to fill, Napoleon III embarked on a massive military campaign across Europe to expand the French empire.  However, he failed miserably to live up to his uncle but saw an opportunity in Mexico: a large, resource-rich country wrecked by debts and weakness.  The emperor sent troops to occupy the port city of Veracruz in 1862 in a strong show of force.  The military intervention was supported by the conservatives and the Church in Mexico, who saw the opportunity to remove Juarez.  But the population of Veracruz, along with the nearby Mexican garrison, quickly became incensed by the French presence and demanded the foreign troops removed.  Napoleon resisted and sent the 6,000 man army towards the town of Puebla, where there was a garrison and some fortifications.

Believe it or not, the date was May 5, 1862.  The Mexican army in Puebla, veterans of the War of Reform, were outnumbered but benefited from strong fortifications and trenches centered around two forts, Fort Loreto and Fort Guadaloupe.  The French army attacked with full force; however, by midday their artillery had run out of ammunition and the infantry advanced without cover fire.  The Mexicans, well dug into the hillsides, massacred the French troops as the afternoon rains started to fall.  By late afternoon a Mexican cavalry charged all but wiped out hopes of a French resurgence, and the foreigners retreated back to Veracruz.

The final casualty count was only 87 Mexicans killed while nearly 500 French soldiers lost their lives.  Later that year President Juarez declared May 5th a national holiday in remembrance of the famous victory.  Thus, the reason for Cinco de Mayo.  It is NOT Mexico’s independence from Spain, which occurred in 1821.  If you really want to celebrate Mexican independence, you can do so on September 16th.  But you will probably be the only one at Tumbleweed’s on a Tuesday taking shots of tequila and eating less-than-edible enchiladas.  On second thought, that combination sounds disgusting, and LatinWorld in no way recommends celebrating in such a manner.

As for the French intervention, the setback at Puebla was quickly forgotten and French forces took Mexico City in 1863.  President Juarez and his cabinet fled northward to Chihuahua and a young Austrian archduke named Maximilian was installed as Emperor of Mexico.  The conservatives and Church were ecstatic, but a majority of the population lamented a foreigner ruling the country.  Despite the emperor’s love of all things Mexican and a rather liberal stance on social issues (much to the dismay of the conservatives), the people eventually turned on Maximilian and Juarez’s liberal troops, aided by the U.S., retook Mexico City in 1867.  The emperor, who dismissed calls to evacuate because his love of Mexico, was executed by firing squad.   Five years of bizarre politics were over.

So there’s the real story behind Cinco de Mayo.  Why it is so popular in the U.S. and elsewhere is a mystery; in fact, outside of Puebla it is not really a big holiday in Mexico.