So for those of you who don't really know what all the hoopla is
about, here is a brief history on Cinco de Mayo and why I, for
one, celebrate this holiday. What is Cinco de Mayo? Contrary to
popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is NOT the Mexican Independence
Day. Instead, this holiday commemorates the victory of a small
Mexican army (estimated to be around 4,000 soldiers) over the
French forces, which were considered to be the best army in the
world at the time. This is known as the Battle of Puebla, and it
occurred on May 5th, 1862. Let me give you a little bit of
background information: In 1861, Mexico's treasury (and
government) was in shambles after years of wars: the Mexican-
American War in 1846-48; the Mexican Civil War in 1858; and the
1860 Reform Wars. At this time, Napoleon III (not Napoleon
Bonaparte!) was the emperor of France and he saw this as an
opportunity to establish a French empire in the Americas. It is
incredibly important that people understand that the U. S. Civil
War was happening at the exa