Misconception: Cinco De Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day.

Fact: Mexican Independence is commemorated on September 16, when the revolutionary Priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla lead a call to arms that amounted to a declaration of war against the Spanish colonial government in 1810.(~50 years before Cinco de Mayo)

El Cinco de Mayo, “The Fifth of May”, is a celebration in areas of Mexico, commemorating

the victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza over French Expeditionary

forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Cinco De Mayo: •To force payment for Mexico’s outstanding debt, Britain, Spain & France sent troops to Mexico.

•Mexico’s democratically elected President Benito Juárez made agreements with the British and the Spanish, who promptly recalled their armies, but the French stayed.

•Emperor Napoleon III wanted to secure French dominance in Mexico and install one of his relatives, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, as ruler of Mexico.

•Confident of a quick victory, 6,500 French soldiers marched on to Mexico City, encountering stiff resistance along the way, before Zaragoza struck out to intercept the French invaders.

On May 5, 1862, Zaragoza's militia were ill-equipped and outnumbered,

but were able to prevent French dragoons from taking the field and

overwhelming the Mexican infantry.

Utilizing the inhospitable terrain and a stampede of cattle set off by local

peasants, the Mexicans stopped the French invasion that day.

The French Emperor, upon learning of the failed invasion, immediately

dispatched another 30,000 soldiers.

By 1864, the French succeeded in defeating the Mexican army and occupying Mexico City. Archduke Maximillian became Emperor of

Mexico.

• Maximilian's rule was short-lived.

• Mexican rebels opposed to his rule resisted, seeking the aid of the United States.

• Once the American Civil War was over, the U.S. military began supplying Mexicans with weapons and ammunition.

• By 1867, the rebels finally defeated the French and deposed their puppet Emperor.

Other Days to celebrate this month…1st…Lei Day & May Day

2nd…Holocaust Remembrance Day & National Truffles Day4th…Star Wars Day & National Weather Observers’ Day

12th…Mother’s Day15th…National Chocolate Chip Day

20th…First photo sent from Hubble telescope in 199024th…First Morse Code Message sent from Washington DC to Baltimore in 1844

May 30th…Memorial Day (observed on the 27th this year)

May is…Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Asthma & Allergy Awareness Month (how appropriate)National Bar-B-Que Month

National Egg, Strawberry, Salad, and Hamburger MonthPhysical Fitness & Sports Month

Weeks in May…Teacher Appreciation Week

National Pet WeekNational Police WeekNational Bike Week

National Safe Boating Week