Saturday, May 05, 2007
This Day in the Long List of French Defeats
On this day in 1862, The Battle of Puebla took place where Mexican forces loyal to Benito Juarez defeated French troops sent by Napoleon III. France took advantage of the American Civil War to try for some late colonization, knowing our federal government could do little to stop them, the Confederates weren't interested in helping (and were in fact rooting for France) and the weak Mexican military was incapable of holding off mighty Second Empire troops. We had taken about a third of Mexico away in straight up battle just a decade and a half before. But France managed, eventually, to get kicked out of Mexico. It's weird--in most of Mexico, very few celebrate Cinco de Mayo while Mexican Independence Day (September 16--although the celebration starts at 11 pm on the 15th) is huge; in America, September 16 is very quiet and Cinco de Mayo is a noisy car parade and weekend long party. What's up with that?
Labels: The Battle of Puebla
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 12:07 AM 
