This painting in a Mexico City museum shows the Mexicans defeating the
French in the Battle of Puebla.
The Battle of Puebla
Cinco de Mayo
May 5
A little more than a hundred years ago, France started a war with
Mexico. In the Mexican city of Puebla, two forts blocked the advance of
some six thousand French troops. The forts were manned by two thousand
Mexican soldiers under the command of General Ignacio Zaragoza.
On May 5, 1862, cannons boomed and rifle shots rang out as the French
soldiers attacked the two forts. Before the day was over, one fort was
in ruins and more than a thousand French soldiers lay dead. The Mexicans
had won the battle.
The battlefield is now a city park. In the park, there’s a statue of
General Zaragoza on horseback. Near the statue is a war museum that was
one of the forts that Zaragoza and his men defended.
In the museum is a display of hundreds of toy soldiers set up to show
what happened that day. Mexicans call the day Cinco de Mayo, which is
Spanish for \”fifth of May.” Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday in
Mexico.
