The Battle of Puebla took place on May 5, 1862, and represented a triumph for Mexico against the French army , then considered as one of the most powerful in the world. The world was the result of a debt Mexico had with England, France, and Spain.
On July 1861 , President Benito Juárez temporarily halted the payments of Mexico's foreign debt to England, France, and Spain , which caused turmoil in the European countries, who quickly sent their battleships sailing to Veracruz , to demand the payments, on the contrary, they threatened to invade Mexico.
On December 17, the Spanish arrived in Mexico, and the English and French arrived on January 7. Both England and Spain reached an agreement with the Mexican authorities but the French refused, who decided to invade Mexico .
French General Charles Ferdinand Latrille
wrote to the French War Minister, claiming that “we have a race, organization, discipline , and elevation of feelings superior to Mexicans , which I assure you, your Honor, you can tell the Emperor that, while I lead my 6,000 soldiers , I will be the master of Mexico .”
The Mexican army was formed by soldiers and farmers , who faced and fought against one of the most powerful armies in the world at the Loreto hill, to prevent the French from taking over the city of Puebla , a city the f oreign army would have to travel through to get to Mexico City . The Mexican army was led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Segui n.
During the battle , around 500 French soldiers died , while 100 Mexican soldiers died. This was the first the French army was defeated after half a century of wins.
And although Cinco de Mayo is a quiet celebration in Mexico , this date has become a popular celebration in other countries. For example, the United States adopted the celebration in 1863 . The tradition began in Zaragoza , a town located in Texas , which celebrated the triumph of General Zaragoza . The celebration became a tradition in the south and thanks to the Chicano movement in 1940 and ad campaigns from beer companies in the 90s, Cinco de May o became the day of the Mexican-American culture .
The celebration of the Battle of Puebla takes place in cities and states with a larger number of Mexican inhabitants , including Los Ángeles, New York, Chicago, San Antonio, San Francisco, and Denver.
But Cinco de Mayo is also celebrated in other countries, for example, Canada, Australia, England, New Zealand, France, South Africa, Nigeria, and Japan .
And in order to share this historical even t with children, the app “ Cinco de Mayo ” was created. The app explains the battle using images and information and the reason why Mexican commemorate this historical date.
The app also has a memory game so that the user can learn while having fun . It also includes another game , which consists of questions about the Battle of Puebla and a coloring book so that children can learn more about the Mexican heroes.
The app is available at the Apple Store.
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