Cinco De Mayo or The Fifth Of May, commemorates the defeat of the French army by the Mexicans at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862.
Mexico briefly gained independence from Spain in 1810. There were many internal political takeovers and wars in the country including the Mexican-American War and the Mexican Civil War of 1858. These events wiped out the economy.
During this time Mexico was greatly in debt to several nations who were demanding payment. Mexico stopped making any payment and France decided to use the debt issue to establish its own leadership in Mexico by appointing Archduke Maximilian of Austria as ruler of Mexico.
The French army encountered strong resistance at Loreto and Guadalupe. Lead by General Seguin, a militia of about 4,500 soldiers defeated the French army of 6,500 soldiers.
While the victory was a memorable one for the patriots, it was short lived. Napoleon had found an excuse to send more troops to help Maximilian. A year later, the French were eventually able to depose the Mexican army, take over Mexico City and install Maximilian as ruler as planned.
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