Ask someone on the street what Cinco de Mayo represents and most likely he'll say Mexican independence day. Independence Day in Mexico is actually Sept. 16.

Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of a country achieving victory in the face of overwhelming odds. And it holds special significance not only in Mexican history but that of the United States.

The hero of the battle was a Mexican general born in Texas. The outcome probably helped shorten our Civil War and helped keep this continent free of foreign intervention.

French expansion

Years of internal military and political strife and a war with the United States (1846-1848) had left the treasury of Mexico bankrupt. In order to restore a failing economy, Mexican

President Benito Juarez decided to suspend payment of foreign debt for two years.

European governments, unwilling to accept these terms, decided to take matters into their own hands and quickly dispatched troops to secure payment. On Dec. 8, 1861, a multinational force (6,000 Spanish infantry, 200 French infantry and 700 British marines) landed in Veracruz, Mexico, and seized the customs house. They hoped to collect Mexico's debt through customs taxes levied on goods that passed through the port.

Eventually, Spanish and British claims were paid by the Juarez government. Troops from those countries departed on April 11, 1862. France, however, the largest creditor, refused to leave.

France had larger plans for Mexico. Emperor Napoleon III had dreams of a Second French Empire that would extend its influence into Central and South America and rival that of his uncle, Napoleon I. These acquisitions would provide raw materials and trade, as well as check the expansion of the United States, an emerging world power.

Soon after the Spanish and British departed, a French force of 6,500 (many of them veterans of the Crimean War) under the command of Gen. Charles Latrille began a 250-mile march from Veracruz to Mexico City. The French were led to believe their advance would be met by crowds of joyful Mexican people showering them with Magnolia blossoms. Instead, a determined army of 5,000 peasant militia and regular soldiers under the command of Texas-born Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza blocked their passage at Puebla.

The battle