Now is a particularly good time to celebrate Mexican-American relations.

Let’s go back to the spring of 1862, when the United States of America was getting its butt kicked by the Confederate States of America, and it looked like either England or France would enter the war on behalf of the south and split the country in two. Down in Mexico, approximately 8,000 French soldiers had landed at Veracruz and were marching toward Mexico City to collect on debts owed since the end of the Mexican-American war, and perhaps continue north. But on May 5, the French army ran into a poorly-equipped Mexican force of about 4,000 men, at a place called Puebla. And in one of those milagros del Dios, the home team prevailed, and drove the French back.

News of the victory swept through Mexican-American frontier towns in California, with the miners firing off rifles and fireworks, singing patriotic songs, and having a drink or two. Since that time, ‘Cinco de Mayo’ has been celebrated continuously in the United States. In the 1940’s, it became part of the Chicano Movement and began to spread eastward in popularity. In the 1980’s, beer companies spotted an opportunity and began to promote it heavily. Today, Cinco de Mayo is the second biggest day of beer consumption in this country, behind only Super Bowl Sunday.

Meanwhile, down in Mexico, things were more complicated. After the battle of Puebla, the French regrouped and captured Mexico City in 1863. But once the Civil War ended in the United States, Secretary of State William Seward led a program to provide political and military support to Mexican guerillas, which resulted in Mexico regaining its autonomy on June 5, 1867.

Perhaps this tortured history is why Cinco de Mayo is a bit of an afterthought in Mexico today. In the town of Puebla, folks dress up and reenact the battle. But it is an official holiday only in the states of Puebla and neighboring Veracruz. And though all Mexican children get the day off from school, Cinco de Mayo is not a national holiday.

All of which means that, from a military and popularity standpoint, Cinco de Mayo means a whole lot more in the United States than it does in Mexico. Sure, it’s a great day to have a Dos Equis or dos, and pick up a Crunch Wrap Supreme at the drive thru. But it’s also a good day to reflect on the fact that, without the victory at Puebla, the Civil War may have played out very differently.

In other words, as a purely White Christian European nation (*sarcasm*), we may owe much of our power and independence to our neighbors to the south.

Something to think about. Salud.