Definition of Battle of Puebla

On May 5, 1862, in the Mexican city of Puebla, an armed confrontation took place between the troops of the Mexican army and a contingent of 6,000 French soldiers. The Mexican army was victorious despite facing the greatest military power of the time. This battle is part of the history of the Mexican people and is remembered as an episode of patriotic pride.

It should be noted that Mexicans residing in the United States each year commemorate the victory in the Battle of Puebla. For this reason, May 5 is the day of Mexican-American culture in the US.

Background to the conflict

In 1861 Mexico was deeply fragmented after the War of Reform between conservatives and liberals. The whole of the nation lived a situation of poverty and the commercial activity was especially complex due to the lack of infrastructure. As a consequence of the economic crisis, the country had a high external debt and the government de Benito Juárez made the decision to cancel the debt with other nations.

In order to collect the loans granted to Mexico, the governments of England, Spain and France allied themselves and agreed that if necessary they would resort to the force of weapons. After a negotiation process with the Mexican government, the English and the Spanish renounced their economic claims, but the French maintained them.

The Battle of Puebla

In France Napoleon III ruled and had the aspiration to reclaim the glory of the old French empire. The non-payment of the Mexican debt was a perfect alibi to send troops to Mexico.

The Mexican soldiers were led by Diego Zaragoza, a liberal soldier of recognized prestige. The Zaragoza forces had the support of the conservative general Miguel Negrete and troops led by Porfirio Díaz. The French soldiers were under the command of Charles Ferdinand Latrille, who a few days before the battle expressed his absolute confidence in the final victory.

In the moments before the combat, General Diego Zaragoza addressed his soldiers, telling them that the enemies wanted to take their homeland away from them.

The confrontation was brief, since the battle lasted six hours. After the victory, General Zaragoza sent a telegram to President Benito Juárez with some emotional words: "the arms of the supreme government have been covered in glory."

Despite the Mexican victory in the Battle of Puebla, the French did not renounce their pretensions and among 1863 and 1867 Maximilian of Habsburg became the emperor of Mexico in what is known as the Second Empire Mexican.