Are you celebrating the Battle of Puebla today?

The battle took place on May 5, 1862 and is also called the Battle of Cinco de Mayo.

The Battle of Puebla was between Mexico and an invading French army. The Mexican Army overcame great odds to win the battle and send the French packing.

This battle may have had a big affect on the War Between the States as it has been speculated that if France had won this battle they would have then moved north to join with the Confederate Army.

A year later President Juárez declared a national holiday to remember the Battle of Cinco de Mayo. Today Cinco de Mayo is only a regional holiday in Mexico and is not a national holiday. It is more widely celebrated in the US than it is in Mexico.

After being defeated at the Battle of Puebla the French army had to regroup and they eventually resumed their march toward Mexico City which was soon defeated. Emperor Maximilian then ruled Mexico for about three years before the Mexican Republic was re-established.

The painting that I shared at the beginning of the post is titled: Batalla de Puebla, 5 de mayo de 1862

The painting is by José Cusachs and was painted in 1903. Today the painting is in the Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City which is the home of the Museo Nacional De Historia.

There is also some interesting American history about Chapultepec which you can find out more about in my post Back in Time II.

Here in California we have many people with Mexican roots so there are big celebrations on Cinco de Mayo.

I am debating on whether to go out for dinner tonight and have some good Mexican food like these Cartnitas tacos.

It would be nice to have some good chicken soup with avocado chunks like I would find in Mexico City.

Actually, this is perhaps a good idea just to make here at home. I did buy an avocado today as I plan on making some guacamole this evening.

I will probably just curl up with a good book and quietly celebrate.

Steven