Batalla de Puebla

On May 5, 1862, the Mexican army under General Ignacio Zaragoza defeated the invading French army, then considered the best in the world, outside the city of Puebla. The victory is celebrated every year as Cinco de Mayo.

Don’t confuse this date with September 16, Mexico’s Independence Day, which commemorates the start of the independence movement in 1810. The French later returned and installed the Second Empire, but the 1862 victory remains a symbol of national pride.