Mexicans Defeat France: Battle of Puebla Wins Glory
Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza led 4,500 poorly equipped troops to victory over 6,000 French soldiers, including the elite Foreign Legion, at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Napoleon III had sent the French expedition to establish a client state in Mexico under Austrian Archduke Maximilian. The French army had not been defeated in nearly 50 years. Zaragoza's victory, though it only delayed the French conquest of Mexico City by a year, provided a massive morale boost. The French eventually installed Maximilian, but the United States, after its own Civil War ended, pressured France to withdraw. Maximilian was captured and executed by firing squad in 1867. Cinco de Mayo is more widely celebrated in the United States than in Mexico, where it is primarily observed in the state of Puebla.
May 5, 1862
164 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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