Mexicans recreate 1862 Cinco de Mayo victory over French
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A man plays a French army officer during a re-enactment of The Battle of Puebla as part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
People dressed as Zacapoaxtla Indigenous soldiers clash with others playing the part of French soldiers as they reenact The Battle of Puebla as part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862.
MEXICO CITY >> Residents in Mexico City marched, danced and fired blanks from muskets Thursday to mark the 160th anniversary of the 1862 victory over French troops in the nearby city of Puebla.
Known as the Battle of Puebla, the victory gave rise to Cinco de Mayo, a holiday more celebrated in the United States than in Mexico.
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The French invasion of the 1860s was eventually, if briefly, successful.
The invasion set up the 1864-67 reign of Emperor Maximillian, who was later deposed and executed.
Puebla residents also dressed as French troops and Zacapoaxtlas, the Indigenous and farmer contingent that helped Mexican troops win.
Pedro Rodríguez, a customs service worker, dressed in the straw hat and kerchief of a Zacapoaxtla, with the modern addition of some sunglasses to ward off the harsh sunlight.
“This is about winning the battle in honor of the flag of Mexico,” Rodríguez said.
