Remembering Mexico’s Victory Over The French

Today is the 134th anniversary of Cinco de Mayo- commemorating the Battle of Puebla-in which a ragtag group of Mexican fighters soundly defeated the French army on May 5, 1862. While it was a minor setback for the French who had occupied Mexico a few months before, the victory became a rallying point for those wanting Mexico’s freedom. In this country, where it is celebrated more vigorously than in many parts of Mexico, people sometimes confuse the holiday with Mexican Independence Day, which falls on Sept. 16. The popularity of Cinco de Mayo grew in part because the holiday was embraced by Chicano activists during the 1960s as a symbol of their civil rights struggle.

An Unlikely Ruling Couple

Emperor Maximilian

Maximilian headed the country for three years as part of a scheme by France’s Napoleon III. The younger brother of Emperor Francis Joseph I of Austria, Maximilian attained the rank of rear admiral at age 22. After the French army occupied Mexico, he accepted the offer to become emperor, falsely believing the Mexican people had voted him their king. He angered the Catholic Church by refusing to restore vast church holdings confiscated by President Benito Juarez. He used his own inheritance, however, to cover daily expenses for the country because the Mexican treasury was depleted. After the French withdrew, he was court- martialed and executed.

Empress Carlota

Originally known as Princess Charlotte, she was the daughter of King Leopold I of the Belgians, and married Maximilian in 1857 when she was 17. She remolded the lavish Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City and established women’s charitable organizations. When the United States began to demand the withdrawal of French troops, she sought aid from Napoleon III and the pope. She was unsuccessful. She was in Europe when her husband was executed and suffered a mental breakdown. She lived in seclusion near Brussels until her death at age 86 on Jan. 19, 1927. In her old age she told her nurses that her husband was “the Sovereign of the Universe.”

Battle of Puebla

Five months after landing in Mexico, the French army advanced upon Puebla, situated about 50 miles southeast of Mexico City. The French Gen. Charles Laurencez thought it would be an easy victory so he took no precautions and sent his men to the center of the Mexican fortifications. The Mexicans, commanded by Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza, were armed mostly with outdated guns. Even so, the 6,000 French soldiers were soundly defeated by 2,000 Mexicans who hid behind tall cactus plants. The French lost more than 1,000 men. Today, Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican national holiday, marked each year with a military parade in Mexico City.

Mexican Independence Day

On the morning of Sept. 16, 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla called his parishioners to Mass in a small Dolores church. But instead of giving a religious sermon, he asked them to revolt against nearly three centuries of Spanish colonial rule. His Grito de Dolores, or shout to arms, became one of the most famous speechese in Mexican history. The shout is repeated during Mexican Independence Day celebrations. Although it took 11 years to defeat Spain, the date is considered the day that an independent Mexico was created.

The French Occupation

Key moments during France’s brief rule in Mexico.

July, 1861: Facing great economic troubles, Mexican President Benito Juarez suspends payment on all foreign debts for two years.

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January, 1862: England, Spain and France land troops in Veracruz. Britain and Spain withdraw their troops three months later after they realize Napoleon III wants to conquer Mexico and rule through a puppet government.

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May 5, 1862: Mexican forces defeat French army at Battle of Puebla.

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June, 1863: With a bigger army, troops of Napoleon III capture Mexico City.

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May, 1864: Napoleon III installs Archduke Maximilian of Austria and his wife, Carlota, as emperor and empress of Mexico.

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March, 1867: Beaten down by continued Mexican resistance, pressure from the United States and criticism at home in France, Napoleon III withdraws his troops.

May, 1867: Emperor Maximilian is captured and later executed. Juarez is restored as president of Mexico.

Sources: “A History of Mexico,” by Henry Bamford Parkes, “Mexico,” by R. Conrad Stein, “Mexico,” by the editors of Time-Life Books, Encyclopedia Britannica and Encyclopedia Americana; Researched by STEPHANIE STASSEL / Los Angeles Times