That’s one way to handle debt…
¿Cuándo es el cinco de mayo? It’s this Tuesday. That’s the day millions commemorate Mexico rising up against the repo man… who happened to try to take over the country. Cinco de Mayo celebrations have nothing to do with Mexico’s Independence Day, which falls on September 16. Look at the history of cinco de mayo and you’ll see that the holiday commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862.
Here’s the deal. Mexico had gained independence from Spain in 1821 after a difficult struggle. Internal strife, including the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and Mexican Civil War of 1858, had ruined the nation’s economy. Mexico’s cash advance debts to Spain, England and France were heavy, the lenders wished to collect and debt relief was in order.
Napoleon: more eager to collect than most
France was in empire building mode, in no small part due to the appetites of Napoleon. Once Mexico stopped making loan repayments, France named Napoleon III’s relative, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, as ruler of Mexico and sent armies to take over Mexico City. Mexico appealed to the United States for aid, but President Lincoln’s hands were mostly tied by the ensuing Civil War in America.
But Puebla held the line. At Fort Loreto and Fort Guadalupe, General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin led makeshift militias against well-outfitted French forces. It was a landmark victory for Mexican patriots who had been hoping for that polarizing moment which would unify the country. This is the victory celebrated on cinco de mayo.
Debt and Napoleons: inevitable
It was a short-lived victory. Napoleon went against the will of the French people and sent a force nearly five times larger than before. One year after the previous defeat, Napoleon’s army took Mexico City and installed Maximilian as ruler.
Maximilian’s rule for only three years (1864-1867), however. With the American Civil War now over, President Lincoln sent troops to help Mexico rid themselves of the French, which came in relatively short order. Even today, the bullet-holed shirt of Maximilian sits on display in Chapultepec Castle museum in Mexico City.
Party without credit cards or mortgage loan modification
The Cinco de Mayo holiday is regional in origin, originating in the state of Puebla. Celebration there is particularly spirited, but it’s big everywhere there are people who like to celebrate Mexican culture and heritage. Cervezas, comida, margaritas, danzas y musica are trappings of joyous celebration. As you’ll see in the video below, the love of the automobile has permeated Mexican culture as it has America’s. Yet as fun as it looks, get more bounce to the ounce from your budget and go with cash advance in a standoff, rather than hydraulics.
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That wasn’t to be the last humiliating defeat for Napoleon’s nephew – not long after that the French army was humiliated at the hands of the Prussians, and Napoleon III was captured, and like his famous uncle, was exiled from his native land. (Although the Bonapartes were in fact, Italian. Of the many things said about them, was that the reason they were so careless with French blood is that they didn’t have a drop of it in them.) As I understand it, most of Mexico doesn’t celebrate Cinco de Mayo very much.