Both faithful readers know that the month of May is usually busy around here\u2026. yesterday was \u201cmay the 4th be with you\u201d or Star Wars Day and today is Cinco de Mayo \u2014 the holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican Army\u2019s May 5, 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Mexican Army that won the battle was largely outnumbered and poorly supplied. In fact, they were known as a rag-tag army and only had outdated guns at their disposal. But as few as 2,000 Mexican soldiers, some of whom hid behind tall cactus plants, defeated 6.000 French soldiers during the battle, that lasted from daybreak to early evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ignacio Zaragoza was the Mexican general that led the army that defeated the French. He was born in what\u2019s now Goliad in southern Texas and was only 33 years old when he led his troops to victory. Puebla was renamed Puebla de Zaragoza in his honor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although it was celebrated in the United States just weeks after the Battle of Puebla, Cinco de Mayo wasn\u2019t officially recognized here until 1933. President Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted something called the \u201cGood Neighbor Policy,\u201d which was meant to improve relations with Latin American countries and communities. After Cinco de Mayo was officially recognized, it really began to pick up steam in the 1950s and 60s. I guess drinking seemed like a good way to improve international relations to FDR \u2014 sounds like a good idea to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The town of Chandler, Arizona has a typical Cinco de Mayo celebration \u2014 food, music, parades, dancing and Chihuahua races. Townspeople enter their Chihuahuas into the race and receive a large cash prize if their Chihuahua is the fastest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cinco de Mayo is not a federal holiday in Mexico, but it\u2019s always been popular with the kids \u2014 even before the pandemic, schools were closed for the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So happy Cinco de Mayo \u2014 no matter how you celebrate and even if you don\u2019t take in the Chihuahua races, you can\u2019t go wrong with a Margarita.
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Both faithful readers know that the month of May is usually busy around here\u2026. yesterday was \u201cmay the 4th be with you\u201d or Star Wars Day and today is Cinco de Mayo \u2014 the holiday that celebrates the date of … Continue reading