Cinco de Mayo
Battle of Puebla
Observed by	US Americans, mixed nationality; citizens of Puebla, Puebla
Type	Multinational
Date	May 5, 1862
Observances	Celebration in the United States of Mexican-American culture and experiences. Only somewhat celebrated in Mexico. Food, music, folkloric dancing

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a celebration held on May 5. It is celebrated in U.S. cities with a significant Mexican population^[1] and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla,^[2][3][4][5] where the holiday is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla).^[6][7][8] The date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride,^[9] and to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War.^[10][11] In the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.^[3][12] Contrary to widespread popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day—the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico—which is actually celebrated on September 16.^[3][13]

History[link]

1901 poster for Cinco de Mayo: "May 5, 1862 and the siege of Puebla."

Events leading to Cinco de Mayo[link]

Cinco de Mayo has its roots in the French occupation of Mexico, which took place in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War of 1846-48, the Mexican Civil War of 1858, and the 1860 Reform Wars. These wars left the Mexican Treasury in ruins and nearly bankrupt. On July 17, 1861, Mexican President Benito Juárez issued a moratorium in which all foreign debt payments would be suspended for two years.^[14][15] In response, France, Britain, and Spain sent naval forces to Veracruz to demand reimbursement. Britain and Spain negotiated with Mexico and withdrew, but France, at the time ruled by Napoleon III, decided to use the opportunity to establish a Latin empire in Mexico that would favor French interests, the Second Mexican Empire.

French invasion[link]

Late in 1861, a well-armed French fleet stormed Veracruz, landing a large French force and driving President Juárez and his government into retreat.^[16] Moving on from Veracruz towards Mexico City, the French army encountered heavy resistance from the Mexicans near Puebla, at the Mexican forts of Loreto and Guadalupe.^[17] The 8,000-strong French army attacked the much more poorly equipped Mexican army of 4,000. Yet, on May 5, 1862,^[18] the Mexicans managed to decisively crush the French army, one which, according to an article in Philadelphia's The Bulletin daily newspaper, was the best army of the time.^[19]

Mexican victory[link]

The victory represented a significant morale boost to the Mexican army and the Mexican people at large. In the description of The History Channel, "Although not a major strategic win in the overall war against the French, Zaragoza's success at Puebla represented a great symbolic victory for the Mexican government and bolstered the resistance movement."^[20] The description of Time magazine was: "The Puebla victory came to symbolize unity and pride for what seemed like a Mexican David defeating a French Goliath."^[21] It helped establish a much-needed sense of national unity and patriotism.^[17]

Events after the battle[link]

The Mexican victory, however, was shortlived. Thirty thousand troops and a full year later, the French were able to depose the Mexican army, capture Mexico City, and establish Emperor Maximilian I as ruler of Mexico.^[2] However, the French victory was also shortlived, lasting only 3 years, from 1864 to 1867. With the U.S. Civil War over in 1865, the U.S. was able to provide more assistance to Mexico to expel the French, after which Maximilian I was executed by the Mexicans, along with his Mexican generals Miramón and Mejía, in the Cerro de las Campanas, Querétaro.^[2][15]

Significance[link]

The Battle of Puebla was important for at least two reasons. First, although considerably outnumbered, the Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army. "This battle was significant in that the 4,000 Mexican soldiers were greatly outnumbered by the well-equipped French army of 8,000 that had not been defeated for almost 50 years." ^{[22][23] [note 1]} Second, it was significant because since the Battle of Puebla, no country in the Americas has been invaded by any other European military force.^{[24] [note 2]}

Consequences to the United States[link]

Cinco de Mayo dancers greeted by U.S. President George W. Bush

Some historians have argued that France's real goal was to help break up the American Union, at the time in the midst of a civil war, by helping the southern Confederacy:^[26] "The Mexicans had won a great victory that kept Napoleon III from supplying the confederate rebels for another year, allowing the United States to build a powerful army. This grand army smashed the Confederates at Vicksburg and Gettysburg just 14 months after the battle of Puebla, essentially ending the Civil War." The consequence of Cinco de Mayo to the United States has been thus recognized: "The defeat of the French army had consequences for America as well...the French defeat denied Napoleon III the opportunity to resupply the Confederate rebels for another year."^[27]

Donald W. Miles adds, "At the time, there were fears in the United States that the French would use Mexico as a base to back the Confederacy, so President Lincoln and his Secretary of State went out of their way to appear 'neutral' in the Mexican situation. They did not want to take on the French and the Confederates at the same time".^[28] Dr. Miles goes on to explain that "Napoleon III had hesitated to take on the United States directly, but now the news of the Civil War changed everything".^[29] It meant that the Americans would be occupied with their conflict between North and South for some time. Upon hearing the Spaniards and the British had sailed off to grab the customs house in Veracruz to start collecting their duties, Napoleon decided he would not only send the French navy, but would also start looking for someone to place as emperor in Mexico. He would then use Mexico as a base to help the Confederates win their war against the United States. Napoleon saw this as an opportunity not to be missed.^[29] Dr. Miles then concludes, "The Emperor of France ordered his generals to spend a few months taking over Mexico and then - using Mexico as a 'base' - help the Confederates win their war against the United States! What if they had succeeded? The United States would never become the significant world power that it is today...the Mexicans not only took their nation back, but influenced the outcome of the U.S. Civil War."^[30]

Historian Justo Sierra has written in his Political Evolution of the Mexican People, that had Mexico not defeated the French in Puebla on May 5, 1862, France would have gone to the aid of the South in the U.S. Civil War and the United States' destiny could have been very different.^[31][32]

Observances[link]

United States[link]

Cinco de Mayo performers at the White House

On June 7, 2005, the U.S. Congress issued a Concurrent Resolution calling on the President of the United States to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe Cinco de Mayo with appropriate ceremonies and activities.^[12]

In a 1998 study in the Journal of American Culture it was reported that there were more than 120 official U.S. celebrations of Cinco de Mayo, and they could be found in 21 different states. An update in 2006, found that the number of official Cinco de Mayo events was 150 or more, according to José Alamillo, professor of ethnic studies at Washington State University in Pullman, who has studied the cultural impact of Cinco de Mayo north of the border.^[33]

In the United States Cinco de Mayo has taken on a significance beyond that in Mexico.^{[9][14][34][35]} Celebrations tend to draw both from traditional Mexican symbols, such as the Virgen de Guadalupe, and from prominent figures of Mexican descent in the United States, including César Chávez.^[36] To celebrate, many display Cinco de Mayo banners while school districts hold special events to educate pupils about its historical significance. Special events and celebrations highlight Mexican culture, especially in its music and regional dancing. Examples include baile folklórico and mariachi demonstrations held annually at the Plaza del Pueblo de Los Angeles, near Olvera Street. Commercial interests in the United States have capitalized on the celebration, advertising Mexican products and services, with an emphasis on beverages,^[37][38] foods, and music.^[36][39][40]

History of observance[link]

Cinco de Mayo celebration in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Mexicans and Latinos living in California during the American Civil War are credited with being the first to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the United States.^[10][41]

According to a paper published by the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture about the origin of the observance of Cinco de Mayo in the United States, the modern American focus on that day first started in California in the 1860s in response to the resistance to French rule in Mexico. "Far up in the gold country town of Columbia (now Columbia State Park) Mexican miners were so overjoyed at the news that they spontaneously fired off rifles shots and fireworks, sang patriotic songs and made impromptu speeches."^[42][10] A 2007 UCLA Newsroom article notes that "The holiday, which has been celebrated in California continuously since 1863, is virtually ignored in Mexico."^[42] TIME magazine reports that "Cinco de Mayo started to come into vogue in 1940s America during the rise of the Chicano movement."^[21] United Press International reports that "The holiday crossed over into the United States in the 1950s and 1960s but didn't gain popularity until the 1980s when marketers, especially beer companies, capitalized on the celebratory nature of the day and began to promote it."

Mexico[link]

Cinco de Mayo is a regional holiday limited primarily to the state of Puebla. There is some limited recognition of the holiday in other parts of the country.^[2]

Elsewhere[link]

Events tied to Cinco de Mayo also occur outside Mexico and the United States. As in the United States, celebrations elsewhere also emphasize Mexican cuisine, culture and music. For example, Windsor, Canada holds an American-style "Cinco de Mayo Street Festival",^[43] some Canadian pubs play Mexican music and serve Mexican food and drink,^[44] and a sky-diving club near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, holds a Cinco de Mayo skydiving event,^[45] In the Cayman Islands, in the Caribbean, there is an annual Cinco de Mayo air guitar competition.^[46] and at Montego Bay, Jamaica there is a Cinco de Mayo celebration.^[47] The city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, holds an annual Mexican Festival^[48] to honor the day, and celebrations are held in London, England^[49] and New Zealand.^[50] American-style celebrations of the day can also be found in Bangkok, Thailand,^[51] Taipei, Taiwan.^[52], and in Paris, France.^[53]

See also[link]

• History of Mexico

References[link]

Notes[link]

Sources[link]

• Miles, Donald W. (2006). Cinco de Mayo: what is everybody celebrating? The Story Behind Mexico's Battle of Puebla. New York: iUniverse Press. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cinco de Mayo

• Cinco De Mayo Videos on The History Channel
• Cinco de Mayo Fun: Mariachi! - slideshow by Life magazine
• "Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican Independence Day?" on The Law Library of Congress's blog

v t e Mexican public holidays Statutory holidays Año Nuevo Día de la Constitución Natalicio de Benito Juárez Día del Trabajo Día de Independencia Día de la Revolución Transmisión del Poder Ejecutivo Federal Navidad Civic holidays Día del Ejército Día de la Bandera Aniversario de la Expropiación petrolera Heroica Defensa de Veracruz Cinco de Mayo Natalicio de Miguel Hidalgo Día de la Marina Grito de Dolores Día de los Niños Héroes Consumación de la Independencia Natalicio de José Ma. Morelos y Pavón Descubrimiento de América Festivities Día de los Santos Reyes Día de San Valentín Día del Niño Día de las Madres Día del Maestro Día del estudiante Día del Padre Día de Todos los Santos Día de los Fieles Difuntos Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe Las Posadas Nochebuena Dia de los Santos Inocentes

Angélica Aragón (born July 11, 1953) is a Mexican actress of telenovelas and such films as Dune, A Walk in the Clouds, Bella, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Vivir un poco, Mirada de mujer, Novia que te vea, and the blockbuster film Sexo, pudor y lágrimas.

Early life[link]

Aragón was born Angélica Espinoza Stransky in Mexico City, the daughter of composer José Ángel Espinoza. Aragón was raised in a family of intellectuals. She attended The Modern American College, The Sierra Nevada School and The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) for almost seven years. She also lived in India, where she studied at The National Dance Academy and the Kerala Kelandam Dance School.

Career (movies and tv)[link]

Back in Mexico, Aragón joined the ranks of Televisa and made several telenovelas in the 1980s and 1990s while she acted in films such as Toy Soldiers with Tim Robbins, The Evil That Men Do with Charles Bronson and the cult film Dune. She played mostly roles of socialite women and also the role of a noble indigenous woman in De frente al sol ("Looking straight at the Sun"). She played the role of the wife of songwriter Álvaro Carrillo in the motion picture Sabor a mí (With the Flavor of Me), alongside José José, "El Príncipe de la Canción", who played the songwriter in the movie. Her telenovelas career includes successful hits as Vanessa (1982), with Lucía Mendez, Chispita (1983), Vivir un poco (1985), Días sin luna (1989), Mas alla del puente (1993) with Katy Jurado and Cañaveral de Pasiones. At the age of 44, after years of not receiving lead roles in Televisa, a company that focuses mainly on younger stars, she obtained a role on the second telenovela of new station TV Azteca titled Mirada de mujer ("A woman's glance") portraying, ironically, an aging woman who is neglected by her husband and finds love in the arms of a younger man. Such bold move paid-off and the telenovela was a big success. She also appeared in the sequel Mirada de mujer: El regreso, as well as the film Sexo, pudor y lágrimas.

In 2006 Angélica participated in the film Bella which received the top prize at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival by winning the highly-coveted Peoples Choice Award. As of 2007, Angélica is working as a director of Sueña (Dream), a play which is shown at the Independence Theatre in Mexico City, with Irma Lozano, Aarón Hernán and Miguel Garza.

Telenovelas[link]

• A Corazón Abierto as Elena (2011)
• Ni una vez mas as Azalea (2005-6)
• Mirada de mujer: El regreso as María Inés Domínguez de San Millán (2003)
• Por tí (2002)
• Todo por amor as Carmen (2000)
• Marea brava (1999)
• La chacala (1998) as The Devil
• Mirada de mujer as María Inés Domínguez de San Millán (1997)
• Cañaveral de Pasiones as Josefina, director (1996)
• Agujetas de color de rosa as Bertha (1994)
• Más allá del puente as Chole (1994)
• De frente al sol as Chole (1992)
• En carne propia as Magdalena Ovalle de Muriel (1990)
• Días sin luna as Lucía (1990)
• La casa al final de la calle as Leonor Altamirano Najera (1989)
• Cuna de lobos as Amelia Larios(1986)
• Vivir un poco as Andrea Santos de Merisa-Oregon (1985)
• Principessa as Fernanda (1984)
• Chispita as Lucía (1983)
• La fiera as La Costeña (1983)
• Vanessa as Luisa (1982)
• El hogar que yo robé as Genoveva (1981)
• Sandra y Paulina as Isabel (1980)
• El amor tiene cara de mujer (1971)

Films[link]

Hollywood[link]

• Bella as the mother (2006)
• Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)
• Picking Up the Pieces as Dolores (2000)
• A Walk in the Clouds as María José Aragón (1996)
• The Harvest as Dr. Emma (1993)
• Toy Soldiers as Presidenta López (1984)
• Samson and Delilah as Niji (1984)
• The Evil That Men Do as María (1984)
• Dune as Bene Gesserit Sister (1984)

Mexican cinema[link]

• Tequila (2011)
• El Atentado (2010)
• Recién Cazado (2010)
• Todos Hemos Pecado (2009)
• Guadalupe (2006)
• La mujer de mi hermano (2005)
• Tres (2005)
• Zapata: El sueño de un héroe as Waitress #1 (2004)
• Desnudos (2004)
• El crimen del padre Amaro as Augustina Sanjuanera (2002)
• ¿Y si Cristóbal despierta? as Mariana (2000)
• El grito as Blanca (2000)
• Crónica de un desayuno as Paloma (1999)
• Sexo, pudor y lágrimas as Carlos' mother (1999)
• Entre la tarde y la noche (1999)
• Fibra óptica as Doña Carmen (1998)
• Ámbar as Adrianina (1997)
• De muerte natural (1996)
• En el aire as Teresa (1995)
• Cilantro y perejil as Teresa (1995)
• Sucesos distantes as Irene Gorenko (1994)
• Novia que te vea as Oshinika's Mother (1993)
• Gertrudis Bocanegra (1992)
• Pueblo de madera as a corner shop owner (1990)
• Goitia, un dios para sí mismo (1988)
• La furia de un dios (1987)
• Lamberto Quintero as María de los Ángeles (1987)
• Sabor a mí" as Ana María (1987)

Political activities[link]

Aragón is an activist, mainly in Mexico but also outside Mexico. She has been working pro women (against sexual abuse, in favor of the obtainment and promotion of better labor and socioeconomic conditions for women). A lot of manifiestos (statements) have been signed by Angélica Aragón, alongside the signatures of many other writers, directors, actors, actresses and, in general, Mexican and foreign intellectuals.

External links[link]

• Angélica Aragón at the Telenovela Database
• Angélica Aragón at the Internet Movie Database
• Angélica Aragón- photos

Kuno Becker
Born	Eduardo Kuno Becker Paz

Eduardo Kuno Becker Paz (born January 14, 1978) is a Mexican actor who has worked in telenovelas, Mexican cinema and U.S. cinema, but is best known for his portrayal of Ruben Berrizabal in Soñadoras and Santiago Muñez in the football movie Goal! and following sequels.

Early years[link]

Becker was born in Mexico City to Manuel Becker Cuellar and Maria del Rocio Bebbie Paz. His paternal grandfather was a wealthy businessman and his maternal grandfather was Spanish. His maternal grandmother was the sister of famous Mexican actress María Félix. He is of German and Spanish ancestry.^{[1][citation needed]} He has two siblings, Gunther and Karine.

Becker's career as an artist began at an early age, although not as an actor but as a musician. When he was six years old, he intended to become a professional violinist. After obtaining a scholarship, he traveled to Europe and began his studies at the Mozarteum in the city of Salzburg, Austria, where he spent several years taking violin lessons with internationally famous teachers such as Denes Zsigmondi and Ruggiero Ricci.

Acting career[link]

At seventeen Kuno made the decision to set aside his career as a violinist, in order to pursue what he now considers his greatest passion, acting. He auditioned with more than 3,200 candidates and was accepted as a student at the Centro de Educación Artística (CEA) of Televisa.

At the age of nineteen, after two years of drama studies, he obtained his first role in the telenovela Para toda la vida, where he starred in 120 episodes. He later participated in Pueblo chico, infierno grande (with Verónica Castro and directed by José Alberto Castro), El Alma no Tiene Color (directed by Juan Osorio) Desencuentro (directed by Ernesto Alonso), Rencor Apasionado (directed by Lucero Suárez), Camila (directed by Angelli Nesma) and Soñadoras his first lead and breakthrough role, where Kuno and Angélica Vale became the most popular on screen couple of all his novelas. Soñadoras has been the novela with the highest rating Kuno has ever starred in, and which has made its way around the world. Its this precise novela, that gave Kuno his worldwide fame, before venturing into film making. In April 2000 Becker concluded shooting the telenovela Mujeres Engañadas, his second lead role alongside veteran actors Elsa Aguirre and Arturo Peniche.

In addition to his work in television, Becker has participated in a couple theatre productions with Televisa. In 1998 he worked in the musical comedy En Roma el Amor es Broma. At the time he was appearing in the telenovela Soñadoras, Becker toured several Mexican cities with his one-man show Culpas Prohibidas. In only a few years, thanks to his talent and Televisa's high profile in Mexico, he has become one of the best-known and best-looking young actors. His latest theatre production was in 2008 when he starred in and produced the critically acclaimed "The Pillowman" written by Martin McDonagh. This last theatre production was a success with Kuno starring as a young man named Michal.

In cinema he provided the voice of Cale, Tobias and Lightning McQueen for the Spanish-dubbing of animated films Titan A.E., "The 3 Wise Men" and Disney's Cars. He also appeared in the 1997 film La Primera Noche. In 2002 Becker starred in the film La Hija del caníbal (Lucía, Lucía) opposite the Argentine actress Cecilia Roth. Later he starred opposite Antonio Banderas and oscar winner Emma Thompson in the drama-thriller Imagining Argentina. Becker also starred in the historical Kazakhstani epic Nomad filmed in 2004. The production took two years to make and it hit screens in 2006. He also landed the lead role of Santiago Munez in the films Goal! in 2005, Goal! 2: Living the Dream... in 2007 and the final entry in the trilogy, Goal! 3 in 2009. Becker has said that he now wishes to concentrate solely on his film career and is looking for new opportunities not only in Mexican films, but also internationally.

His most recent film projects today are From Mexico with Love, Spoken Word, Te Presento a Laura, La Ultima Muerte and Cabeza de Buda.

Not only can he act, play the violin and sing, but he is also a writer. He is currently busy working on his debut script for the Mexican film he will be starring in, which is based on the earthquake that hit Mexico in 1985. The film project is titled "Espacio Interior", the pre-production and filming is already in process. The film is slated to be released September 2010 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 1985 earthquake. He has now joined the cast of CSI Miami starting in October 2011.

In Goal! 2: Living the Dream..., Kuno Becker appeared semi-nude in one scene when two of his teammates forcefully take off his towel and push him out of the elevator into a crowded lobby completely naked. They close the doors quickly so he cannot get back inside. ^[2]. The extended length scene of this film was deleted from the movie. ^[3].

Films[link]

• 2011: From Prada to Nada
• 2010: Las paredes hablan as Javier
• 2010: Espacio Interior
• 2010: Te presento a Laura as Sebastián
• 2010: La ultima Muerte as Christian
• 2009: Cabeza de Buda as Thomas Turrent
• 2009: Spoken Word as Cruz
• 2009: Goal! 3: Taking on the World as Santiago Muñez
• 2007: Goal! 2 as Santiago Muñez
• 2007: Disney's Cars as Lightning Mcqueen (Mexico/Spanish-dubbing)
• 2007: From Mexico with Love as Hector Villa
• 2007: Sex and Breakfast as Ellis. Also in the film Macaulay Culkin and Eliza Dushku. First Look Studios.
• 2006: Nomad as Mansur
• 2005: English as a Second Language as Bolivar De La Cruz
• 2005: Goal! as Santiago Muñez
• 2005: Isla Bella aka Once Upon a Wedding as Rogelio
• 2003: Imagining Argentina as Gustavo Santos
• 2003: La Hija del Caníbal aka Lucía, Lucía as Adrián
• 1998: La Primera Noche as batted kid

Plays[link]

• 2007: The Pillowman
• 1999: En Roma el amor es broma
• 1998: Culpas prohibidas

Television[link]

• 2011: CSI: Miami as Esteban Navarro
• 2010: The Defenders as Alex Velasco
• 2010: House as Ramón Silva
• 2000: Primer amor... A mil por horas as León
• 1999: Mujeres engañadas as César Martínez
• 1998: Soñadoras as Ruben Barraisabal
• 1998: Camila as Julio
• 1998: Rencor apasionado as Pablo Gallardo Del Campo
• 1998: El privilegio de amar
• 1997: Desencuentro as David
• 1997: El alma no tiene color as Juan José
• 1997: Pueblo chico, infierno grande as Emilio young
• 1997: Te sigo amando as Humberto
• 1996: Para toda la vida as Eduardo

Honours[link]

• 2000 TVyNovelas Award for Best Young Lead Actor - "Mujeres engañadas"
• 2000 TVyNovelas Award for Best Male Revelation - "Mujeres engañadas"
• 2007 Premios Juventud - "Can He Act or What?" Award for "Goal! (film)" (nominated)
• 2008 Premios Juventud - "Can He Act or What?" Award for "Sex and Breakfast" (nominated)
• 2010 Premios Juventud - "Can He Act or What?" Award for "From Mexico With Love" (nominated)

References[link]

External links[link]

• KunoBeckerOnline Dot Com
• Los Angeles de Kuno Dot Com
• Kuno Becker at the Internet Movie Database
• Kuno Becker at the Telenovela Database
• Disney's Cars Yahoo Mexico