After three hours of fighting in which the French tried twice to break the defense line between the two forts, the defeat of those hardened troops in Italy and Crimea was already decided. Until four in the afternoon, seeing that it was already impossible to launch a new attack, Lorencez ordered a withdrawal
Chronicle of 1862
General Ignacio Zaragoza was born in Bahía del Espíritu Santo, today the city of Goliad, Texas. Shortly after the war of independence of that state in 1836, the Zaragoza family went to live in Mexico and Ignacio joined the armed forces in his new country of residence.
Ignacio Zaragoza became a hero in command of the Mexican army and defeated the French army, then considered the most powerful in the world, during its invasion of Mexico on May 5th, 1862, in the Battle of Puebla, which was fought in a winding area and mountainous, defended by the fortresses of Loreto and Guadalupe. It was a successful strategy of the Texan general to weaken the Gallic enemy.
At the end of the combat, he sent a telegram to President Benito Juárez that has remained in historical memory and read as follows: “the national arms have been covered in glory.”
Shortly after, General Zaragoza died in September of the same year, a victim of typhus. It must be remembered that in those years the Civil War was taking place in the United States. The 19th century was saturated with wars and left endless funerals in many homes in both countries. It was a sad time that must be remembered in order not to be forgotten.
Since 1867, the Mexicans who lived in Texas celebrated that victory and over time this party began to spread among the Hispanics who lived in the United States and has been confused with the Mexican Independence Day which is celebrated on September 15th.
During the 1960s, the Chicano movement for civil rights, whose objective was to empower the population of Mexican descent, spread the celebration of May 5 as a symbol of the heritage and culture of the Mexican-American population, because they identified with victory. of the indigenous Mexicans like President Benito Juárez against the European invaders.
When former President George W. Bush was Governor of Texas, in 1994 he officially promoted this celebration and with it, it has spread throughout the country. Parades have been organized, mariachi music is played, traditional dances are performed, and restaurants offer a lot of Mexican food.
One of the most consumed foods during this celebration is guacamole, whose main ingredient is avocado. The name of this fruit comes from the word in the Nahuatl language, ahuacatl, which means tree testicles, a fruit of Mexican origin that has more than 10,000 years of history and a high nutritional value. Every year, more than 100 thousand tons are exported from Mexico and consumed in the United States for various celebrations such as May 5 and sporting events such as the Super Bowl.
For this year and after the confinement forced by the Covid-19 pandemic, celebrations are expected in various cities such as Houston, Los Angeles, and Chicago, which have prepared various events whose purpose is to extol Hispanic people, one of the great contributions that make up the great American union culture. To know more about the events around May 5th visit https://www.holahouston.com/eventos/.
At Del Pueblo Funeral Home we join the historical memory that refers us to the origin and meaning of our identity, of the cultural values that exalt us as a nation and thus we remind you that we make the most difficult moments easy.
