Charge of the Mexican Cavalry at the Battle of Puebla (Mike Manning via Wikimedia)
The Battle of Puebla (Spanish: Batalla de Puebla; French: Bataille de Puebla) took place on 5 May, Cinco de Mayo, 1862, near Puebla de los Ángeles, during the Second French intervention in Mexico. French troops under the command of Charles de Lorencez repeatedly failed to storm the forts of Loreto and Guadalupe situated on top of the hills overlooking the city of Puebla, and eventually retreated to Orizaba in order to await reinforcements. Lorencez was dismissed from his command, and French troops under Élie Frédéric Forey would eventually take the city, but the Mexican victory at Puebla against a better equipped[5] force provided patriotic inspiration to the Mexicans.
The anniversary of the victory is primarily celebrated in the Mexican state of Puebla, where the holiday is celebrated as El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla).[10][11][12] There is some limited recognition of the holiday in other parts of the country. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a holiday celebration of Mexican heritage.
Elsewhere » Jessica Bloustein Marshall, Mental Floss / The Daily Scrum