Resounding blasts of gunfire brings high drama to Cinco de Mayo festivities when a dedicated group of volunteer historical re-enactors under the leadership of Larry Smith, stage their demonstration of the May 5, 1862 Battle of Puebla. Throughout the weekend, Fiesta visitors can get a feel for 19th century soldier life by visiting the recreated 1862 military encampment in the Seeley Stable Yard. Here re-enactors in period uniform and dress play assembling troops and villagers, anxiously preparing to do battle as they did more than 130 years ago.

The French had landed in Mexico (along with Spanish and English troops) five months earlier on the pretext of collecting Mexican debts from the newly elected government of democratic President (and Indian) Benito Juarez. The English and Spanish quickly made deals and left. The French, however, had different ideas.

Under Emperor Napoleon III, who detested the United States, the French came to stay. They brought a Habsburg archduke with them to rule the new Mexican empire. His name was Maximilian; his wife, Carolota. Napoleon's French Army had not been defeated in 50 years, and it invaded Mexico with the finest modern equipment and with a newly reconstituted Foreign Legion. The French were not afraid of anyone, especially since the United States was embroiled in its own Civil War.

The French Army left the port of Vera Cruz to attack Mexico City to the west, as the French assumed that the Mexicans would give up should their capital fall to the enemy -- as European countries traditionally did.

Under the command of Texas-born General Zaragosa, (and the cavalry under the command of Colonel Porfirio Diaz, later to be Mexico's president and dictator), the Mexicans awaited. Brightly dressed French Dragoons led the enemy columns. The Mexican Army was less stylish.
General Zaragosa ordered Colonel Diaz to take his cavalry, the best in the world, out to the French flanks. In response, the French made a big mistake; they sent their cavalry off to chase Diaz and his men, who proceeded to butcher them. The remaining French infantrymen charged the Mexican defenders through sloppy mud from a thunderstorm and through hundreds of head of stampeding cattle stirred up by Indians armed only with machetes.

When the battle was over, many French were killed or wounded and their cavalry was being chased by Diaz' superb horsemen miles away. The Mexicans had won a great victory that kept Napoleon III from supplying the confederate rebels for another year, allowing the United States to build the greatest army the world had ever seen. This grand army smashed the Confederates at Gettysburg just 14 months after the battle of Puebla, essentially ending the Civil War.

Each year, the Southwest United States and Mexico celebrate Cinco de Mayo to commemorate the 1862 Battle of Puebla, during which out-numbered Mexican forces defeated the French Army, setting the stage for Mexico's eventual triumph over France. Often confused with Mexican Independence Day, Cinco de Mayo is actually a celebration of Mexico's struggle against French Imperialism.

During the American Civil War, England, Spain and France sailed to Mexico with hopes of forcing the Mexican people to pay foreign bond debts. The contingent had no intention of conquering Mexico, and once a preliminary agreement was made to pay off the debt , the British and Spanish Fleets returned home. France, however, remained in Mexico, rejected the agreement, and began a war of conquest. On May 5th, French forces numbering 6,500 marched to the town of Puebla on the way to Mexico City. They expected little or no resistance, but found Puebla garrisoned and fortified by a small band of poorly armed Mexican soldiers. The mere 4,500 Mexican soldiers routed the French forces! It would be years before the French were completely removed from Mexican soil, but Cinco de Mayo remains a celebration of the strength, tenacity and independence of the Mexican spirit!

Contact Us

Information for Fiesta Cinco de Mayo is: 619.296.3236

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