La Batalla de Puebla. 1862
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 | By Sinclair Community College 5/83 The
5th of May is celebrated in the United States among the
Mexican-American population, especially in California, Arizona, New
Mexico, Colorado and Texas. Various Mexican-American societies use the
celebrations to commemorate the overthrow of the Mexican Imperial
Monarchy headed by Maximilian of Austria. The Imperial Monarchy was
imposed from 1864 to 1867 on Mexico by Napoleon III, Emperor of France
(nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte) and the Mexican conservatives "Club de
Notables".
The Mexican-American societies were formed after the Mexican-American war (1846-1848) in response to atrocities committed by US. troops occupying the lands annexed by the US. following the war. The war was settled by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo with fifteen million dollars in payment for the annexed lands. The societies originally consisted of home guard units but evolved into social societies as stability returned to the US Southwest. These societies contributed large amounts of material and money to the Mexican Constitutional Government in its fight against the Mexican Imperial Monarchy.
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In
1858, Benito Juárez was elected President of the United States of
Mexico to defend the Mexican Constitution established on February 5th,
1857. After much internal struggle, Juárez was re-elected in 1861.
Because of financial instability, mainly due to the Mexican-American
war, the Mexican Congress suspended foreign debt repayment for two
years. The
creditors in Europe (England, Spain and France) decided intervention
was needed to collect the debts. Unbeknownst to the other two, France
had its own agenda. France wanted to dispose of the Mexican
Constitutional Government and set up a monarchy favorable to France.
Napoleon III, Emperor of the Second French Empire had grandiose plans
to impose a monarchical government upon the nations of Central and
South America. This was to provide raw materials and trade for the
European nations as well as check the growing power of the US Republic
following the annexation of California, Arizona and New Mexico. France's
designs were formented and abetted by the plutocratic and conservative
land owners of Mexico who feared loss of land and political power to
the newly elected constitutional government of Benito Juárez. On
December 8th, 1861 the European powers landed and occupied Veracruz,
Spain arrived first. By April 11, 1862 after realizing France's intent,
England and Spain withdrew their support. Meanwhile,
in Mexico City, President Juárez (a full blooded Zapotec Indian, and a
lawyer who had studied to become a priest), was taking countermeasures:
"There is no help but in defense but I can assure you... the Imperial
Government will not succeed in subduing the Mexicans, and its armies
will not have a single day of peace... we must stop them, not only for
our country but for the respect of the sovereignty of the nations"(1).
Juarez declared martial law and declared all areas occupied by the
French in a state of siege. After
reinforcements arrived, a French force of (7,000) seven thousand set
out on the (225) two hundred twenty five mile route to Mexico City in
early April under the illusion that the Mexican people would welcome
them. This illusion was fostered by Juan N. Almonte, a Mexican
reactionary, and by Count Dubois du Saligny appointed French Ambassador
to Mexico by Napoleon. Presidente Juárez commanded General Ignacio
Zaragoza to block the advance of the French Army with 2,000 soldiers at
the fortified hills of Loreto and Guadalupe by the city of Puebla. On
May 5th, 1862, cannons boomed and rifle shots rang out as the French
soldiers attacked the two forts. Before the day was over, one fort was
in ruins and more than a thousand French soldiers were dead. The
Mexicans had won the battle, but not the war. Yet, this date was
established as symbolic of the Mexicans' courage against a formidable
army. In
June 1864, Maximilian of Habsburg and his wife Charlotte arrived in
Mexico City as the crowned Emperor of the newly formed Mexican Empire.
Although Maximilian organized the administration, liberated the Indians
from servitude, and developed the natural resources of the country, he
was unable to avoid the opposition of the Mexican patriots. The
republicans, led by Benito Juárez, did not accept the foreign
intervention. They went north and requested assistance from the
Californians and other Mexican-American societies to help them with
volunteers and financial support. Finally,
Maximilian was overthrown and captured on May 15, 1867, tried by court
martial, and executed by firing squad on June 19 at the Cerro de las
Campanas along with his generals Miguel Miramón and Tomás Mejía. The
5 de Mayo is a Mexican national holiday. The battlefield is now a park
in Puebla with a statue of General Zaragoza riding horseback. One of
the forts is a war museum with a display of hundreds of toy soldiers
set up to show what had happened that day. But it is in the United
States of America where the celebration is more festive consisting of
parades, music, folklore, dances and food. These festivities are mainly
fund raising events and for solidarity among the Mexican-Americans.
