“No, its ok, shhhhh”

Cinco de Mayo—Beyond the Margaritas and Mariachis
David E. Hayes-Bautista

The party hats are out and the drinks are mixed, but, before the festivities begin, stop and ask yourself: why are we celebrating a battle that happened 150 years ago and 1,500 miles away in Mexico? The answer : we are celebrating the very American values of freedom and democracy triumphing over the forces of despotism and slavery. To understand, let’s go back to the origins of the celebration, during the dark days of the American Civil War.

Early in 1862, all over the North American land mass, the supporters of freedom and democracy were on the ropes, close to being knocked out of the fight. On the Atlantic coast, the Union Army had been beaten again and again, as the Confederacy appeared to be the quick victors. And in Mexico, heartened by the example of the Confederacy, the French Army was slicing quickly across the landscape, racing to Mexico City to topple the constitutional president Benito Juarez, and re-institute slavery in the very country that had been among the first to outlaw that “peculiar institution”.

Then, with the force of a lightening bolt, the electrifying news arrived in California—far away in Puebla, the gutty, outgunned Mexican army took a determined stance, and against all expectations, stopped the mighty French army cold, and threw it back. For the first time since the canons had fired on Fort Sumter, the forces defending freedom and democracy had stopped the forces of despotism and slavery, the first victory of Good over Evil. And it happened in Mexico first.

Overjoyed at striking the first blow for freedom, tens of thousands of Latinos up and down the state of California celebrated the unexpected victory with bonfires, canon salutes, parades and impromptu speeches. They were the state’s strongest supporters of Lincoln and the indivisible Union, as well as of Juarez and the constitution of Mexico. The Californio statesman general, Mariano Vallejo, had one son, Platon, serving as a surgeon with the Union troops on the Atlantic coast, and another one, Uladislado, serving on the front line with Juarez in Mexico opposing the French. Andres Pico (of Pico Avenue fame in Los Angeles) raised and personally paid for equipping four troops of Spanish speaking Native California Cavalry raised in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Jose and San Francisco, who then rode to Arizona Territory to stop a joint Confederate- French takeover of the West.

One war, two fronts. Euphorically, Latinos in 129 locations in California, Nevada and Oregon organized a network of juntas patrioticas (patriotic assemblies) both to raise funds to enable Juarez to continue his fight against the French, and to rally voters for Lincoln’s embattled re-election. Times were hard, money was scarce. But, for five years, the juntas used the anniversary of the first Battle of Puebla to raise spirits, and funds, and the Cinco de Mayo was established as an institution in California as an incentive to provide support for the forces battling despotism and slavery, both in the Atlantic states and in Mexico.

And when the conflicts finally ended, the flags of liberty waved over the two countries once again at peace, the lands of the brave and the homes of the free. Since then, for 150 years, Latinos have commemorated this crucial period in the histories of both the US and Mexico.

So, during this year’s festivities, take some time off from the margaritas and mariachis, and remember the key reasons why Latinos are celebrating: the victory of freedom and democracy in the North American land mass.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!