Cinco de mayo

El Cinco de Mayo History presentation Introduction Let me take you back to 1847 California -> Mexicans. But between 1846 and 1848, the westward territorial expansion of the US run by president Polk led to a war between Mexico and the United States, because the US wanted to acquire the Northern Mexican parts (Texas, Arizona, Nevada…) Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on the 2nd February, 1848 You are now Americans, but does that mean that in your heart you are not Mexicans any longer ? In this presentation, we’ll see how your community, that Hayes-Bautista calls in his book the ‘Latinos’ community (well, as you live in California you are called ‘Californios’, but it’s a detail), will institute a very american holiday that is still relevant nowadays. RQ: Why is ‘Cinco de Mayo’ a biggest celebration outside Mexico? Thesis: Cinco de Mayo has never been a Mexican tradition, it is a genuine american holiday. It was created during the US Civil War by Latinos living in California, as a support for freedom and democracy throughout the Americas. I-The Latino community in the mid-19th century United States A) Distinct waves of integration -1st wave: you, used to be Mexicans and now you’re Americans. As I said, here you are nicknamed ‘Latinos’. -2nd wave: American miners discover that there is gold in California. They need men and arms to dig the soil and search for gold. Migrants from all Latin America come to be exploited by ‘gold diggers’. -3rd wave: not immigration, integration. The number of ‘Latinos’’ births increased: accounted for about 2/3rds of the births in California: creates a cohort of 2nd generation. Those children are bicultural, they receive an education in two languages. BTW it is at that moment that a various american words coming from Mexican language emerges: ‘canon’ created ‘canyon’ example of those children: Reginaldo Francisco del Valle (19th century California State Senator, who helped to form the Los Angeles State Normal School. —> waves of civil integration -Latinos then gradually discovered that they could empower themselves by participating in politics to respond to injustices. -They created some official state militias, that they called Los Angeles Lancers for example: founded to provide a help to the authorities in support of law and order. —> waves of political integration B) A structured and well-informed community, although victim of discriminations -Victims of a anti-latinos racism -Greaser Act in 1855: authorised local sheriffs to ‘disarm, arrest and punish all armed persons of Indian or Spanish blood’ -Tax on foreign miners: $20/ month: for some miners, all their wage (only for the Latinos, the Californios were American so they didn’t have to pay that tax) —> heavily discriminated -found a common ground in Spanish-language-Press: example of ‘El Clamor Publico’: they formed a unified Latino Californian community, and began to marry one another -created ‘juntas patrioticas’ for Mexicanos: dedicated to the celebration of Mexican Independence Day —> Latinos gather

II) Origins of the Cinco de Mayo A) El cinco de Mayo 1962 -Juarez, psdt of Mex, decided to suspend payments on the debt owed to F, UK, Spain, because the Mexican debt at that time was too heavy for the country, due to the 1857 Mexican civil war between Liberals and Conservatives (Liberals won, led by Juarez) French ambassador in Mexico (compte Alphonse Dubois de Saligny): end of normal relations First battle of Puebla, when France attacked Mexico: May 5, 1862 Mexico won that battle, led by the general Zaragoza Napoleon III wanted to revive French global ambitions, and he tried to instal Maximilian of Hapsburg as Emperor of Mexico —> events in Mexico -May 26: Spanish-language newspapers are publishing the news ex: May 27 issue of La Voz de Mexico: ‘incomparable joy with the news of a Mexican victory against the French’ a couple of joyful celebrations in the streets: toasts to Mexico, singing of patriotic songs —> the press shaped the celebration -Mexico: delicate situation during the US Civil War: Feb 1862, Confederates invaded Janos in Chihuaha (rich gold mines) -California joined the US as a free state in 1848 = the rebels in the Southern US supported Maximilian’s imperial power = opposed the juntas patrioticas, that supported the liberal government of Bonito Juarez —> events in Mexico linked to the US Civil war —> time for the news to spread: 1st celebrations on 25th and 26th May,1863: concerts, dances: Latinos raised money and sent it to Mexican army B) 13 June 1867 -1865: Maximilian announced the Black Decree, ordering the execution any Mexicans who bore arms against the imperial regime -He acted as a despot, imposing a tyrannical government on a rather liberal population -Maximilian’s death and Napoleon III’s surrender —> This is what the 5DM is celebrating Transition: we note that the 5th of May 1862 is not the actual date of Mexican’s victory, so the question is: how did that celebration came to embody the victory of Mexico against the French invaders ? III) The steady penetration of Cinco de Mayo’s celebration in American culture A) A growing tradition between 1863 and 1940 Let’s get back to you, and to May 1862: what do YOU do to celebrate the victory of your former nation? -1st thing you do: you offer a golden sword to the general leading the 1862 1st Puebla victory, whose name is Zaragoza. But when the gift arrives in Mexico, he’s already dead: it strengthens your memory of the battle, and you teach your children all about the deeds of this brave man. —> role of the 1st initiative toward Zaragoza: strengthening the memory -Then on the 26th May 1863, you dance in the streets, and you listen to liberal politicians’ speeches in Los Angeles, while the Mexican and american flags are raised side by side, to show that you defend the democracy: fist ever sponsored celebration of the 5DM —> to create a memory, you need a first event in which the people get involved -role of the juntas patrioticas mejicanas (mexican patriotic assemblies) = network in 129 locations in California, Nevada, Oregon = encouraging to support democracy, in US as well as in Mex —> you need institutions that will embody the cause and plan the celebrations 2nd generation-Latinos shaped the memory of the 5DM: when the juntas patrioticas wanted to focus more on the celebration of the Mex Indep Day (16th Sept), the 2nd generation didn’t allow the 5DM’s memory to fade

-migrants from Mexico in late 19th century: discovered the 5DM in US, but they turned it into a Mexican and no more California celebration= reshaped the meaning of 5DM into Mex-centric terms, forgetting the link with the US Civil War: ‘mexicanised’ B) The most recent shifts in the celebration -WW2: L.A.: Mex and American banners were raised side-by-side on the 5th May, 1942 = symbol for alliance of democracies against totalitarianism -Migrants in the 60’s and 70’s: didn’t know that celebration until coming to US -1990: radio station creates the L.A. Fiesta in L.A., sponsored by Target -Final shift: political one, with doubtable intentions: Bush brought the 5DM to the White House with a Mariachi performance Conclusion: Get back to the RQ: Why is ‘Cinco de Mayo’ a biggest celebration outside Mexico? El cinco de Mayo has never been a Mexican celebration, as Mexico focuses on Independence Day (16th September), it is a genuine American holiday. Today, its meaning has considerably shifted toward a commercial party, but even if it is fun to party, we must not forget the original significance of that celebration, which was the support to values such as democracy and civil liberalism, and the wish that they would spread throughout the whole Latin America.