What does Battle of Puebla mean?
The Battle of Puebla is what makes Cinco de Mayo such an important holiday for the Mexican people.
On May 5, 1862, the Battle of Puebla took place during the French Intervention in Mexico. The Mexican army defeated the French.
This took place with the end of the 1857-1860 civil war in Mexico. It had left the country disorganized and Benito Juarez was in an awkward position to suspend foreign debt payments in 1861. Napoleon III, Emporer of France, sent a joint expiditionary force to Meico under the Treaty of London along with the Spanish and the English to collect their debts.
The Battle of Puebla happened in 1862 when the Americans intervened and the British and the Spanish withdrew. The French received reinforcements, but the Mexican forces kept them off. The French had run out of immunition and they were already down to their third infantry – they were forced to retreat.
