A little history lesson:
Ignacio Zaragoza is the hero of a famous battle fought in Puebla, Mexico, on May 5, 1862. La Batalla del Cinco de Mayo, also known as La Batalla de Puebla, was won against the French who had occupied Mexico to claim payment of a debt.
Zaragoza was born in 1829, near what is now Goliad. The fact that his father was a military officer in the Mexican army probably weighed heavily on his decision to abandon his studies for the priesthood to join the militia in 1853.
The early 1850s were years of great upheaval in Mexico. The quest between the liberals and conservatives to decide the best form of government for the newly independent nation finally led to the Guerra de Reforma (War of Reform, 1857-60.) Zaragoza, siding with the liberals, fought to uphold the Constitution of 1857 under which President Juarez hoped to restrain the immense power the church held at that time. When France occupied Mexico in 1861, Zaragoza renounced his position as Minister of War and led the defense of the city of Puebla. His defeat over French troops in May 5 did not end the invasion. Nonetheless, it definitely helped weaken the power of the French and likely also changed the course of U. S. history. Reportedly, Napoleon III planned to send troops to aid the Confederates in the Civil War that, by then, was convulsing the United States. The defeat at Puebla appears to have changed his mind.
While in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is observed as an important historic event and Zaragoza is remembered as a hero, in the United States it has become a celebration of this country’s Hispanic heritage.
Source: Lopez de Escalera, Juan, Diccionario Biografico y de Historia de Mexico, Editorial del Magisterio, Mexico, 1964.
The Handbook of Texas Online, www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/ZZ/fza4.html (April 2007)
( I apologize if the accent marks are not there ~ don't know how to correct that in the post) b.a.
1 comment:
I attended a Cinco de Mayo celebration and actually was glad that I both had a history teacher in the family as well as having an amateur interest in history myself.
While waiting in line at the beer booth, this guy (obviously on the lighter side of being drunk) attempted to make a rather unsettling statement to me that we "white folks" didn't know what CdM was about. That "we" just showed up for the booze and didn't give a damn about the meaning behind it.
"O Rly?" I respond before launching into a brief account about 5/5/1862 and what I knew about its significance. I wasn't quite as detailed, but I was aware of the general facts and was able to cover the important points.
The guy grunted, nodded his head, turned to his friend behind the beer booth and shouted, "Hey, Joe, buy me this guy a beer. He actually gets it!"
The beer appeared a few seconds later. The guy smiled slightly, shook my hand and presented the beer. He nodded as I took a gulp before he sloshed down a gulp himself.
He reached out for another handshake, I thanked the guy for the beer and then he disappeared back into the crowd.
And some people have the audacity to say that history has no practical use in everyday life...
Heh.
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