~ Cinco de Mayo ~

by Tina~in_ut

I love Mariachi Vargas. They are my family's favorite Mariachi group. We all have their CD's and although not all of us know what some of the songs mean (me), we love listening to them. I asked my sister what this song was about, and she just shook her head and said that there was no real English translation. No biggie.....I love it anyway. When I hear the people screaming in it, it reminds me of my aunt. She was always the one at family weddings that would scream in all the right places. Actually, to me, it's not screaming. It's singing.

Many people in the U.S. think that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day. It's not. It's the celebration of Mexico's victory in Puebla over the French on May 5, 1862. The French invaded Mexico because the Mexican President decided to discontinue paying their foreign debt for two years because they were bankrupt and devastated after the Mexican-American war. They promised to resume payments after the two year moratorium. The English, Spanish, and French would not accept this and invaded. The English and Spanish soon made deals with the Mexican government and left, but the French decided to take over the country. The French outnumbered the Mexicans 2 to 1 and were better equipped, but the Mexicans still managed to defeat an army that hadn't lost in over 50 years. It was the last time an army from another continent would invade Mexico. Although defeated in Puebla, the French, with reinforcements, took over Mexico City a year later, but with the help of the United States, the Mexican army was able to remove the French from Mexico once and for all.

Cinco de Mayo isn't recognized as a National Holiday in Mexico. For the most part, it is celebrated in the state of Puebla and a few other regions. The U.S. celebrates more than Mexico does, especially in areas heavily populated by those of Mexican descent. I liked going down to Olvera Street in Los Angeles with my family on that day. It was always a treat to go there. We ate at the same little hole in the wall restaurant and I bought my favorite candy.....and if we were lucky, we'd get to hear the Mariachi's play.