Cinco de Mayo

 

Today is my friend Halle of Halle's Hobbies birthday. I want to wish her a very happy birthday.  Sorry Halle, the gift is NOT in the mail.  What else is new?

In addition to Halle's birthday today is Cinco de Mayo, which literally translated means "The Fifth of May."  It is also known as the Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, a holiday celebrated in parts of Mexico and the United States to honor a military victory in 1862 over the French forces of Napoleon III.  It actually honors the above mentioned single battle.  

In 1861, Mexico was in financial ruin when a new President was elected.  The new president, Benito Juarez, was forced to default on payments owed to European governments, Spain, France, and Britain.   In response, Spain, France, and Britain sent naval forces to Veracruz, Mexico, demanding repayment.  Britain and Spain negotiated with Mexico and withdrew their forces.  France, on the other hand, decided to use the opportunity to carve an empire out of Mexican territory.

 

While the U. S. was preoccupied with the Civil War, Napoleon III thought it was a good time to establish a French outpost in the Americas as a replacement for the French controlled land lost during the Louisiana purchase.

 

Late in 1861, a well-armed French fleet stormed Veracruz, which drove President Juarez and his government into retreat.  Certain that success would come swiftly, 6,000 French troops prepared to attack a single town, Puebla.  From his new headquarters in the north, Juarez put together a force of 2,000 loyal men and sent them to Puebla.  Even though Juarez's forces were vastly outnumbered, they arrived at Puebla and were able to fortify the town before French troops arrived.  On May 5, 1862, these forces held the city from dawn to early evening, at which time the French troops retreated after suffering severe losses.

 

Although it was not a major strategic win in the overall war against the French, that single battle represented a great symbolic victory for the Mexican government and bolstered the resistance movement.

For this page, I began by gluing a sheet of green copier/printer paper to a sheet of 110 lb cardstock.  To that I glued a sheet of southwest inspired tissue paper.  Next, I added three flags of Mexico to the page using glue dots.  Finally, I computer generated and printed the information on Cinco de Mayo on yellow copier/printer paper.  Because there is a Language aspect to this page, I am also sharing this with Elle, from Empire of the Cat, our host this month at Art Journal Journey.

 

Thank you beyond belief for joining me today as I wish my friend Halle a great birthday and celebrate Cinco de Mayo.  Bleubeard and I also hope to see you at Art Journal Journey.