Cinco de Mayo

American’s love a party. We love a party so much, that we have co-opted some from other countries. Saint Patrick’s Day? Not ours. Halloween? Started long before American was even thought of. Now, we are in the process of taking another day of celebration and making it part of our culture. In fact, this day is celebrated more here in America than it is in Mexico. In this case, I am talking about Cinco de Mayo.

Now many of you are misinformed. Cinco de Mayo does not celebrate Mexican independence from the Spanish even though that would be something worth celebrating. No, Cinco de Mayo celebrates something smaller yet perhaps every bit as important in the history of Mexico. It celebrates the victory of a small band of militia over a segment of the French Army in 1862. That’s right, that little guy Napoleon had designs on taking over Mexico as a way to control the growth of America as a world power.

Estimates of the Mexican force range from 4,000 to 5,000 men that were led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin and armed primarily with machetes. It did include a segment of cavalry that proved instrumental in the victory. The French force was approximately 8,000 strong and were comprised of hardened members of the French Foreign Legion and had some of the most technology advanced weapons of that time. This militia stopped the invading French Army in what was to become known as the “Batalla de Puebla” on May 5, 1862.

This victory help establish a sense of national pride at a time when Mexico was beset by many internal troubles. While the victory is primarily celebrated as a regional holiday in Mexico, it is a growing day of festivities here in the US, fueled by the desire of the Mexican-American community to have a holiday to call their own and of course, commercial concerns.

Be that as it may, Cinco de Mayo is becoming a day of celebration here in the United States and will continue to grow in popularity. As with all the the best holidays, it is marked by indulging in food and beverage, something that we here at At Least I’m Enjoying the Ride thoroughly encourage. In the days leading up to Cinco de Mayo, we’ll be exploring some of the food and beverages of Mexico and ask that you join us for the ride.