The Reason why Gringo’s drink margaritas on May the 5th.

0Back in junior high school when Ms. Sandoval my eighth grade Spanish teacher walked into class on May the fifth the story of Mexican independence has been seared into the back of my skull.

See, we all know that I am half Mexican and that’s really stretching it because I have no real Mexican identity other then the fact my pop’s looks like he just swam the river. The fact that he can’t even speak Spanish or pull of a good “what’s up vato” impression is even more damaging to his credentials. I think my dad got his knowledge of Mexico from his Cheech and Chong records which he in turn passed down to me like they were the holy grail of Mexican folklore. But don’t we all have a “basketball Jones”? Well, that warm spring day back at Kent Junior High I was informed by crazy Ms. Sandoval, who incidentally looked like a cross between Frida Kalo and Chavez y Chavez (that’s Mexican Indian) stormed into class yelling “CINCO DE MAYO IS NOT MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE!!!” From that day on I knew my Mexican history and learned those Latin women are passionate and a little crazy.

I learned that day that in fact Mexico was playing hard ball in 1862 after years of war with Spain and the USA. They had amassed mucho el debto with Spain, Britain and France. Starting a nice long tradition of not paying debts, we see the effect of this tradition in the Lovato family gene. Well these countries all decided that they wanted to start reclaiming that Dinero so this meant sending over troops. Kind of like today’s US foreign policy.

The newly elected democratic President of Mexico Benito Juarez was able to persuade Spain and Britain to leave after trading a 5th of tequila and some of his mom’s famous tamales for a box of Cubans and David Beckham. Still those Frenchies wouldn't leave. I guess they thought if they can’t beat the Brits or Spanish why not pick on the little guy. So French Emperor Napoleon III dispatched his army of 6500 troops and forces from the Mexican conservative party to take Mexico City by force and install a puppet government.

While on a march to the French were attacked on the 5th of May by a rag tag bunch of peasants and mixed Military lead by General Ignacio Zaragoza met the French in the City of Puebla. The Mexican army managed to defeat the larger army with sure will power and Mexican ingenuity. See it’s not Mexican Independence….

Unfortunately this did not stop the French after the defeat. They continued to attack the small Mexican army finally taking Mexico City and installing a puppet government. The war/rebellion continued until 1867 when the US started to supply the Mexicans with weapons and aid. Then finally the people were free until another Mexican president was installed and was bad, then another then another… This led to another Mexican Civil War involving Pancho Villa… But men that is another story for another time.

Now you know the truth so go spread the word…