What is Cinco de Mayo?

Welcome back to History's Not Boring! Today, Mira and Finn are traveling back to the year 1862 to uncover the amazing true story behind Cinco de Mayo! Did you know it's not actually Mexico's Independence Day? It's the story of the ultimate underdog!

Imagine this: the mighty French Empire, a massive superpower at the time, sends its absolute best army across the ocean to conquer Mexico. The situation looks totally hopeless! Mexico is completely out of money, but a young, clever general named Ignacio Zaragoza isn't ready to give up! He gathers a small, scrappy force of just 4,000 soldiers to defend the city of Puebla.

Marching toward them are 6,000 highly trained French troops! The odds are totally stacked against Mexico, but what happens next is one of the most stunning victories in history! How did a tiny, ragged army defeat a massive superpower? Tune in to find out how General Zaragoza and his soldiers stood their ground, surprised the whole world, and gave us the real reason we celebrate the fifth of May! Get ready for the biggest underdog battle in the Americas!

Transcript

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Welcome to History's Not Boring by Kidopoly.com. I'm Mira. And I'm Finn. Today is Wednesday, April 29th, which means a very special holiday is coming up next week. Wait, what holiday? Is it a candy holiday? Please tell me there's candy. No, it's Cinco de Mayo. That's Spanish for the 5th of May. Oh yeah, we have tacos and a big parade. But what are we actually celebrating? Most people in the United States think it's Mexico's Independence Day, but it's totally not. Mexico's Independence Day is actually September 16th. Really? Then why do we celebrate May 5th? Because it's the anniversary of one of the wildest underdog stories in the history of the Americas. We are travelling back to May 5th, 1862. Wait, 1862? What happened then? The mighty French Empire, led by Emperor Napoleon III, sent 6,000 of their absolute best, most elite soldiers across the ocean to conquer Mexico. 6,000 soldiers? That's enough to fill an entire basketball stadium. It was massive, and standing in their way was a tiny, ragged force of just 4,000 Mexican soldiers at a city called Puebla. Uh-oh. 4,000 against 6,000. And the French were the best in the world. That doesn't sound good for Mexico. Against all odds, the underdog fought back. Today we're talking about the incredible Battle of Puebla, where a tiny, poorly equipped army defeated a global superpower. Let's set the stage. It's the year 1861, and Mexico is completely broke after a brutal three-year civil war. Like literally zero money in the national bank. Exactly. The Mexican president Benito Juarez looked at the country's debts and made a huge announcement. He said they couldn't pay back the money they owed to France, Spain, and Great Britain for two whole years. Uh-oh. I bet those three kings and queens were super mad. They were furious. By January 1862, all three countries sent heavily armed warships across the Atlantic Ocean to the Mexican port city of Veracruz. Did they start blasting the city? Luckily, no. The Mexican government sent diplomats to talk to them. Britain and Spain realised Mexico really had no money, so they made a peaceful deal and sailed their ships home. Phew! Problem solved, right? Not exactly. France's ruler, Emperor Napoleon III, said nope. He saw a perfect opportunity. He wanted to take over Mexico entirely and turn it into a French empire. Just because they owed him money? That's extreme. Very. In April 1862, he sent 6,000 troops marching inland. The French army was considered the greatest military force on earth. They had just won wars in Europe and had top of the line long rifles. Who was leading this unstoppable army? A highly trained and very smug general named Charles de Laurence. He actually wrote a letter to France saying he was so superior that he was already the master of Mexico. Ugh, he sounds way too full of himself. Who was defending Mexico against this guy? A brilliant 33-year-old Mexican general named Ignacio Zaragoza. He scrambled to gather an army, but he only found about 4,000 to 4,500 soldiers. Were they highly trained professional soldiers like the French? Not at all. Many were everyday farmers, local volunteers, and brave indigenous fighters from the Zacapoacla region. They had heavy, old-fashioned muskets, and some of them literally only had farming machetes. Machetes against modern long rifles? How could they possibly win a battle like that? General Zaragotha knew he couldn't fight them in an open field. He had a brilliant defensive plan. He knew the French army had to march roughly 250 miles from the coast to get to Mexico City. That's a super long walk. Where did he decide to stop them? At the city of Puebla! Puebla was completely blocking the road to the capital. Zaragotha set up his defences on top of two steep hills just outside the city. Oh I know this! Taking the high ground is always the smartest military move. It sure is. On top of those hills were two thick stone forts, Fort Loreto and Fort Guadalupe. The Mexican army dug deep trenches and waited. Did the French army finally show up? Yes. On the morning of May 5th, 1862, the French soldiers marched in wearing heavy bright blue wool coats and bright red pants.

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Wait, bright red pants? That doesn't sound like good camouflage for a dusty Mexican battlefield. It definitely wasn't. General Lorences looked at the Mexican forts and thought it would be an easy win. At 11.45 in the morning, the French artillery started firing their cannons. Did the cannonballs smash the fort walls to pieces? Nope. The French brought cannons that were way too light, and the thick stone walls of Fort Guadalupe just bounced the cannonballs right off. Ha! So what did the smug French general do next? Lorences ordered his men to fix their bayonets and charge straight up the steep hills. Running up a steep hill toward cannons? That sounds exhausting. It was! As they climbed, the Mexican soldiers fired down on them. The Zacapoaxla indigenous fighters even hid in fields of spiky Maguay plants, which are like giant cacti. Surprise cactus attack! I love it! The Mexican forces reined down fire, and the French had to retreat all the way back down to the bottom of the hill. No way! General Laurence was totally embarrassed that his elite soldiers were beaten back. He reorganised his troops and ordered a second massive attack. Did it work the second time? Nope! The Mexicans held their ground and pushed them back again. The French took heavy losses. 2-0 for Mexico! What happened next? This is where it gets crazy. At around 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Laurence ordered a third massive attack with 3,000 soldiers. But then, the sky suddenly turned black. A solar eclipse? No, a massive, booming, late afternoon thunderstorm. Huge drops of heavy rain started pouring down on the battlefield. Wait, how does rain change a battle? Think about it, the French are trying to run up a steep dirt hill. With the pouring rain, that dirt instantly turned into a giant slippery mudslide. Oh man, they must have been slipping and sliding everywhere. They were! The French soldiers were carrying 50 pounds of gear, slipping in the deep mud in their heavy, soaking wet wool uniforms. They couldn't even stand up straight. That's hilarious! But wait, what about the Mexican defenders? They held strong. In fact, the French artillery actually ran completely out of ammunition. Oh no! Did the French keep attacking? They charged anyway, but without their cannons to protect them, the sliding French troops were completely defenceless against the Mexican defenders. Defenceless? That's a huge advantage! Yes, and the Zacapoaxla fighters leaped out of the muddy bushes with their machetes. The French army was completely overwhelmed, exhausted and terrified. They finally turned around and ran away in total defeat. Yeah! They actually won! But wait, how many people got hurt in all that fighting? The French suffered nearly 500 casualties, meaning dead and wounded soldiers. It was a massive disaster for them. What about the Mexican army? Amazingly, the Mexican army only lost 83 brave men. That's an incredible victory for an army that was so outnumbered. It really was. General Zaragoza immediately sent a famous telegram to President Juarez in the capital. It proudly said, the national arms have covered themselves in glory. That's an epic quote. But wait, what happened to the French army that night? Oh, you'll love this gross fact. The surviving French soldiers had to retreat and sleep in muddy, freezing, rain-filled ditches that night. Ew! Ugh! Sleeping in a muddy ditch sounds absolutely miserable. It was! And to make it worse, they had to sit in the cold mud while they listened to the Mexican army singing and celebrating in the forts right above them. Haha, that is the ultimate timeout. But did this battle actually change history? Massively! It delayed the entire French invasion by a whole year! And because France was stuck fighting in Mexico, they couldn't cross the border to help the South in the American Civil War. Whoa! So the Battle of Puebla helped the United States stay together too. Exactly! Sadly, the brilliant General Zaragotha died of a sickness called typhoid fever just four months later. But he is forever remembered as a massive hero. Alright, Finn, it's time for the quiz. Are you ready to test your knowledge? Okay, my brain is warmed up. Hit me with the facts. First question. What European country sent an army to conquer Mexico in 1862? Next one. What is the exact date we celebrate this famous battle? Question three. What were the names of the two stone forts on the hills? Here's number four. What sudden weather event turned the battlefield into a slippery mudslide? Last question. Who was the 33-year-old Mexican general that led his army to victory? Great job! Let's see how you did. The first answer is France! They were ruled by Emperor Napoleon III. For question two, it happened on May 5th, 1862, which is Cinco de Mayo. Number three, the answer is Fort Loreto and Fort Guadalupe. Question 4. A massive late afternoon thunderstorm with pouring rain. And the final answer is General Ignacio Saragosa. I'm definitely going to think about General Zaragotha, the brave Zacopoacla fighters, and the muddy French soldiers next time I celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Me too! It just goes to show that even when you are totally outgunned and outnumbered, incredible bravery and a little bit of rain can literally change the course of history. Hey listeners, if you love learning the real story behind Cinco de Mayo, please leave us a five-star review. Yes. Just scroll down on your podcast app and tap those five stars. It helps us tell more epic stories to kids all over the world. Oh, and don't forget to check out our site, kidopoly.com. We've got tons of fun learning games and cool activities there to keep your brain growing. And if you want to shout out on the show, or just want to say hi and tell us your favourite history fact, email us at hello at kidopoly.com. We absolutely love hearing from you guys. Thanks for listening. See you next time on History's Not Boring. Bye everyone.