Heroes and Parties: on Cinco de Mayo

As some of my fellow website neighbors have written, time seems to be passing in a very different way these days. It is very possible that you overlooked that this Tuesday was Cinco de Mayo.

If you are a permanent resident or you’ve been here in September, you have already realized that Independence Day is September 16^thand Cinco de Mayo stands for something completely different. If not, quick recap: On May 5^th, 1862, the ragged troops of Gen Ignacio Zaragoza (you can still get to know on old 500 peso bills) faced the seasoned and well trained troops of the French Army, undefeated for almost 50 years (Waterloo being their last) in the forts of Loreto and Guadalupe outside Puebla, and inexplicably won the battle, which would in turn lead to a 5-year long war, won by the Mexican Army and which would set the last brick in the circumstances which lead to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and the world order that would end with WWI. The fact that it is the greatest celebration of Mexican (and lately, Hispanic) heritage in the US obeys to political and historical reasons which are way beyond the scope of this text.

The thing is (and I’m sure you know this by now!) we Mexicans are very keen to use milestones of our history as an excuse to party. While Cinco de Mayo is probably the most underrated national holiday in Mexico, there are at least two places in our country in which the official celebration is a blast: the city of Puebla itself and the Peñón de los Baños neighbourhood in Mexico City.

Puebla is a close competitor to the Guanajuato-San Miguel region for the title of most beautiful colonial city in Mexico. Just an hour away from Mexico City, this town uses the backdrop of the actual forts to invite reenactors (a mix of soldiers of the local Army garrison and locals with a love of history) to stage the most epic actions of the battle, specially the arrival of the machete-wielding Native volunteers of the Pueblan highland (mostly from Tetela and Nexquipaya) who delivered the last blow of the battle. Being as it is a proud occasion for the city, sometimes the sitting President attends the ceremonies and administers the oath for the local National Military Service recruits, which is broadcast in Army and Navy bases all over Mexico for the new class of soldiers.

The celebration in Peñón de los Baños couldn’t be more different. This neighborhood has always been fiercely proud of its traditions, since the colonial times when it was by a hill next to the bygone Texcoco Lake. Nowadays, it is in the same hill, but next to Mexico City airport. However, this bustling neighborhood has managed to preserve its heritage even when it is now completely within Mexico City proper. And one of the most well known traditions is a reenactment of the battle of Puebla, started by a local committee of Nexquipaya immigrants. 

This occasion is much more different in spirit than Puebla’s. The soldiers, both Mexican and French, are all locals, and there is a lot of fireworks (and some booze) from the early hours. As it happens, due to the effects of the local drinks, there are times in which the French win! After the battle (more of a prosecution in the steep streets) locals host parties in their home, filled with Puebla’s world-famous mole, music and drinks, and where Frenchmen and Mexicans, still in uniform, dance and laugh.

For obvious reasons, this year the celebration was subdued in both Puebla and Peñón de los Baños. Still, the band kept on playing in Peñón until the wee hours, for the brave natives and soldiers who gave their life por la Patria. ¡Viva el Cinco de Mayo!

Zaragoza 500 bill

Cinco de mayo in Puebla

Cinco de mayo in Peñón