Cinco de Mayo

[Kali]

Like St Paddy's day, Cinco de Mayo is more of a US fake holiday - an excuse to drink and eat our version of some other culture/country's "celebration"

So what are you having? We will probably do margaritas and chicken tostadas with some kind of fruit for desert. Or maybe that other fakeAmerican-Mexican dish: fajitas. Normally I do more but for some reason I'm just not that into it today. Maybe later, after I hit the store for the booze.

[KitchenWitch]

1. Is there any truth to the assertion that Cinco de Mayo "celebrations"

were a construct of the Coors brewing company, trying to increase beer sales in May, and trying to placate the Latino workers in one fell swoop?

[Deja Q]

2. Chicken tacos w/ low carb tortillas this AM.

I wonder how many people know the reasons for the Cinco De Mayo holiday...

[lost-in-nj]

4. Im going to a party.. Here is the story of Cinco De Mayo

The 5th of May is not Mexican Independence Day, but it should be! And Cinco de Mayo is not an American holiday, but it should be. Mexico declared its independence from mother Spain on midnight, the 15th of September, 1810. And it took 11 years before the first Spanish soldiers were told and forced to leave Mexico.

So, why Cinco de Mayo? And why should Americans savor this day as well? Because 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City on the morning of May 5, 1862.

The French had landed in Mexico (along with Spanish and English troops) five months earlier on the pretext of collecting Mexican debts from the newly elected government of democratic President (and Indian) Benito Juarez. The English and Spanish quickly made deals and left. The French, however, had different ideas.

Under Emperor Napoleon III, who detested the United States, the French came to stay. They brought a Hapsburg prince with them to rule the new Mexican empire. His name was Maximilian; his wife, Carolota. Napoleon's French Army had not been defeated in 50 years, and it invaded Mexico with the finest modern equipment and with a newly reconstituted Foreign Legion. The French were not afraid of anyone, especially since the United States was embroiled in its own Civil War.

The French Army left the port of Vera Cruz to attack Mexico City to the west, as the French assumed that the Mexicans would give up should their capital fall to the enemy -- as European countries traditionally did.

Under the command of Texas-born General Zaragosa, (and the cavalry under the command of Colonel Porfirio Diaz, later to be Mexico's president and dictator), the Mexicans awaited. Brightly dressed French Dragoons led the enemy columns. The Mexican Army was less stylish.

General Zaragosa ordered Colonel Diaz to take his cavalry, the best in the world, out to the French flanks. In response, the French did a most stupid thing; they sent their cavalry off to chase Diaz and his men, who proceeded to butcher them. The remaining French infantrymen charged the Mexican defenders through sloppy mud from a thunderstorm and through hundreds of head of stampeding cattle stirred up by Indians armed only with machetes.

When the battle was over, many French were killed or wounded and their cavalry was being chased by Diaz' superb horsemen miles away. 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 the greatest army the world had ever seen. This grand army smashed the Confederates at Gettysburg just 14 months after the battle of Puebla, essentially ending the Civil War.

Union forces were then rushed to the Texas/Mexican border under General Phil Sheridan, who made sure that the Mexicans got all the weapons and ammunition they needed to expel the French. American soldiers were discharged with their uniforms and rifles if they promised to join the Mexican Army to fight the French. The American Legion of Honor marched in the Victory Parade in Mexico, City.

It might be a historical stretch to credit the survival of the United States to those brave 4,000 Mexicans who faced an army twice as large in 1862. But who knows?

In gratitude, thousands of Mexicans crossed the border after Pearl Harbor to join the U.S. Armed Forces. As recently as the Persian Gulf War, Mexicans flooded American consulates with phone calls, trying to join up and fight another war for America.

Mexicans, you see, never forget who their friends are, and neither do Americans. That's why Cinco de Mayo is such a party -- A party that celebrates freedom and liberty. There are two ideals which Mexicans and Americans have fought shoulder to shoulder to protect, ever since the 5th of May, 1862. VIVA! el CINCO DE MAYO!!

:party: :hi:


lost

[Beer Snob-50]

5. isn't it mexican independance? NT

[Kali]

8. No, that is 16 de Septiembre

Fiesta mas mejor de 5 de Mayo.

[Ptah]

3. mmm

:thumbsup:

I'm going to do enchiladas.

[1gobluedem]

6. I'm just going to toast my grandfather

He would have been 96 today.

Well, maybe we'll have tacos for dinner.

[txwhitedove]

7. The 5th of May "Cinco de Mayo", commemorates....

"...the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. It is primarily a regional holiday celebrated in the Mexican state capital city of Puebla and throughout the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico, and especially in U.S. cities with a significant Mexican population. It is not, as many people think, Mexico's Independence Day, which is actually September 16." mexonline.com

In U.S. has become more of a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. Fiesta started last Friday in San Antonio... :hi:

[Xipe Totec]

9. No, it is a national celebration

But you have the date and ocasion right. I'm a norteño, and we celebrated cinco de mayo every year.

This is the one and only battle where Mexican forces repelled an invading foreign army. You bet it is remembered.

The fortresses of Fortin de las Flores and Orizaba put the army of Napoleon III in a crossfire at the gates to the Valley of Mexico. The fortresses protected each other and it was impossible to assault one without being in the direct line of fire of the other. The French army had to retreat and wait for reinforcements.

General Ignacio Zaragoza commanded the Mexican forces. Zaragoza was born in the town of Presidio de la Bahía del Espíritu Santo in what was then the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas, now the city of Goliad, Texas, in the United States. The Zaragoza family moved to Matamoros in 1834 and then to Monterrey in 1844, where young Ignacio entered the seminary.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Puebla

[txwhitedove]

13. Not wrong, and not my quote. Quoted from Mexonline.com...

"The oldest and most trusted online guide to Mexico." Of course, that is also their own quote. I already knew Cinco de Mayo wasn't for Mexican Independence, and it is NOT a made up holiday. Mexican nationals and Hispanics take it very seriously. Obviously, you do too. Cheers.
:toast:

[Xipe Totec]

15. Cheers right back at cha!

:toast:

[Kali]

10. entiendo

[TommyO]

11. As long as the mayo is Hellmans, I don't have a problem with it!

I used some Goya Sazon when I made my lunch, does that count?

[Kali]

12. It's Best Foods out here, but yeah I bet folks would be surprised how

popular mayo is in Mexico. I have several immigrant trails nearby and mayo jars are a major part of the detritus.

[TommyO]

17. Hmm, I was just trying to be funny!

I didn't realize how close to the the facts I came.

[uppityperson]

14. More info, simplified for my simplified brain capacity. Viva el Cinco de Mayo!

http://clnet.ucla.edu/cinco.html
Cinco de Mayo is a date of great importance for the Mexican and Chicano communities. It marks the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla. Although the Mexican army was eventually defeated, the "Batalla de Puebla" came to represent a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism. With this victory, Mexico demonstrated to the world that Mexico and all of Latin America were willing to defend themselves of any foreign intervention. Especially those from imperialist states bent on world conquest.

Cinco de Mayo's history has its roots in the French Occupation of Mexico. The French occupation took shape in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. With this war, Mexico entered a period of national crisis during the 1850's. Years of not only fighting the Americans but also a Civil War, had left Mexico devastated and bankrupt. On July 17, 1861, President Benito Juarez issued a moratorium in which all foreign debt payments would be suspended for a brief period of two years, with the promise that after this period, payments would resume.

The English, Spanish and French refused to allow president Juarez to do this, and instead decided to invade Mexico and get payments by whatever means necessary. The Spanish and English eventually withdrew, but the French refused to leave. Their intention was to create an Empire in Mexico under Napoleon III. Some have argued that the true French occupation was a response to growing American power and to the Monroe Doctrine (America for the Americans). Napoleon III believed that if the United States was allowed to prosper indescriminantly, it would eventually become a power in and of itself. In 1862, the French army began its advance. Under General Ignacio Zaragoza, 5,000 ill-equipped Mestizo and Zapotec Indians defeated the French army in what came to be known as the "Batalla de Puebla" on the fifth of May.

In the United States, the "Batalla de Puebla" came to be known as simply "5 de Mayo" and unfortunately, many people wrongly equate it with Mexican Independence which was on September 16, 1810, nearly a fifty year difference. Over, the years Cinco de Mayo has become very commercialized and many people see this holiday as a time for fun and dance. Oddly enough, Cinco de Mayo has become more of Chicano holiday than a Mexican one. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on a much larger scale here in the United States than it is in Mexico. People of Mexican descent in the United States celebrate this significant day by having parades, mariachi music, folklorico dancing and other types of festive activities.

[seemunkee]

16. fish and shrimp tacos and tequila shots.

[stuntcat]

18. Tacos and Margaritas

I don't care if the holiday's legit or not! :party:

[alarimer]

19. Cinco de Mayo in Memphis

By Guy Clark (but covered by Jimmy Buffett also)

Meanwhile down on Beale Street
Drinking in a Beale Street bar
There's a fog rolling off the Mississippi
Has anybody seen Arkansas?
And the deckhands from the towboats
Come ashore wearing Mexican shoes
Oh, they headed strait for Graceland
Was the first thing they wanted to do

Cinco de Mayo in Memphis
Mariachi singing the blues
Southern belles and Senoritas
All sportin' Blue suede shoes

Porkpie hats and sombreros
Hangin on a downtown street
Swingin pool cues at pinatas
Don't that river smell sweet?
And they all come to get'm some Memphis
A little somethin' for their souls
Jumper cables and limos
Hell, they all came to rock and roll

Cinco de Mayo in Memphis
Mariachi singing the blues
Southern belles and Senoritas
All sportin Blue suede shoes

Cinco de Mayo in Memphis
Mariachi singing the blues
Southern belles and Senoritas
All sportin Blue suede shoes

[RedG1]

20. There are many stories related to

the sinking of the Titanic Some have just come to light due to the success of the recent movie.

For example, most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellman's mayonnaise was manufactured in England. The "Titanic" was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after New York City.

The Mexican people were eagerly awaiting delivery and were disconsolate at the loss. So much so that they declared a national day of mourning which they still observe today. It is known, of course, as Sinko de Mayo.

[Kali]

21. ...

:spray: :rofl:

[Ptah]

22. On a more serious Sinko:

http://www.rockhounds.com/bkeller/sharks/


<snip>



The Santa Barbara visited Isla Tortuga for the last time during a New Year's Eve live
aboard ushering in 1990. I had seriously considered signing on for this trip, but decided
to visit my family in Kansas City over the New Year weekend instead. My little sister,
Lydia, persuaded me to join them with an offer of a plane ticket. I hadn't seen them for
some years and couldn't refuse her generosity. I probably owe my life to Lydia because of it.

Twelve divers and four crew members departed San Carlos aboard the Santa Barbara, bound
for Isla Tortuga on Thursday, December 28th, 1989. Greg Todd and Ernesto Estrella were aboard her,
as was Vern Spidle, another diver of my acquaintance that I first met during my certification trip
with Aqua Fun. The Santa Barbara's last radio communication with Guaymas port authorities
was on Sunday afternoon, December 31st. By two different accounts, she departed Tortuga
at either 1:30 or 2:30 a.m. on Monday morning, January 1st, and made for Isla San Pedro Nolasco,
which was four to five hours away from Tortuga at her normal cruising speed. She was following a
usual routine for returning from Tortuga, which often included stopping for a dive or two at San Pedro
while en route back into San Carlos.

Just short of one to two hours away from Tortuga, the Santa Barbara was repeatedly pounded by a
series of very large, powerful and unusual waves. She capsized and sank within five minutes of heeling over.
She now rests on the bottom of the Sea of Cortez beneath hundreds of fathoms of water. All but two of the souls
aboard her were tragically lost. Some of them were probably trapped in their cabins. Others who did not go
down with the Santa Barbara succumbed to hypothermia and died after terrible ordeals in the 55 degree water.

The two survivors were Opha Watson, a Tucson diver, and Vicinte Gonzalez, one of the crew. Search operations
were not initiated until Tuesday when Vicinte was found and informed authorities of the accident. Once searches
by aircraft and various vessels had begun, they were severely hampered by cloudy weather and heavy, stormy seas.
Here is Opha's account of the accident as it appeared in the Friday, January 5th, 1990 Arizona Daily Star:
<snip>