May 5, 2008 11:09 pm US/Central
Buena Pregunta: What Is Cinco de Mayo?
(WCCO)
If you thought the only reason to celebrate Cinco de Mayo was Corona Beer, you're not all that far off from the truth, according to a University of Minnesota history professor.
"These exporters of beer want an excuse for a celebration," said Dr. Jeffrey Pilcher, a historian who's researching the spread of Mexican cuisine across the world.
Cinco de Mayo is not a national holiday in Mexico. It is not Mexico's Independence Day.
"This was a tremendous military victory, one of the great underdog victories in all of history," said Pilcher.
On May 5, 1862, French troops marched on Puebla, Mexico, just outside of Mexico City.
"Napoleon III attempted to try to create an empire in the new world," said Pilcher. "And he thought Mexico would fit in that New French Empire."
However, when the French troops reached Puebla on Cinco de Mayo, they were defeated by Mexican troops.
"It was that simple soldier wearing a sombrero and sandals holding his rifle that had defended Mexican soil from the invader," Pilcher said.
The victory would be short-lived as French troops mounted another offensive in Mexico, capturing Puebla and Mexico City in 1863. The French were expelled from Mexico in 1867.
However, Pilcher believes the Mexican victory in 1862 came at a pivotal point during the United States Civil War. France supported the Confederate Army in the South.
"You could imagine the French, who were sympathetic to the Confederate cause, actually assisting, providing arms and supplies. And it could well have been a decisive turning point for all of North American history, not just for Mexico," he added.
Pilcher believes Mexican beer may be part of the reason for the popularity of Cinco de Mayo in the United States. All over St. Paul, Minn. are advertisements reading, "Corona de Mayo." As exports of Mexican beer started rising in the 1980s, so did the emphasis on Cinco de Mayo.
"These exporters of beer want an excuse for a celebration," said Pilcher.
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