Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's independence from France. The battle was fought in
1862. France didn't leave until 1866-67.
Cinco de Mayo is the day that Mexico won a battle in Puebla. They didn't win the
war, although ultimately the French left Mexico. The holiday is a big deal in the
entire state of Puebla, and especially the city of Puebla, and it's a big deal in
the United States. My favorite part of the celebration in Puebla back in the 1980s
were the dangerous homemade fireworks, which are both amazingly cool and downright
frightening.
In Mexico's history, they've fought many losing battles against great odds (e.g.,
read about the Heroes de Chapultepec, who fought when the U.S. invaded Mexico in
the late 1840s). When a country which was founded by an invasion by Spain, which
has suffered numerous invasions from the good old U.S., and was occupied by France
in the 1860s, wins a battle against a superior invading force, that's worth
celebrating.
Judy Crook
Librarian
Grand Valley High School
Parachute, Colorado
jcrook@garcoschools.org
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