Stepping out on Cinco de Mayo

Andrew Glazer

Whittier Elementary School students celebrated Cinco de Mayo on Friday by

dancing the La Danza Azteca, Jesusita en Chihuahua and the twist. And

OCC’s Dance Department marked the day with Fiesta Latina -- a show

featuring dances from Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico and

Brazil.

Cinco De Mayo -- which translates into May 5 -- is the day roughly 4,500

underarmed Mexican soldiers fought off powerful invading French forces,

double their size, in the city of Puebla in 1862. Not the day, as many

gringos believe, that Mexico declared it’s independence from Spain. That

was Sept. 16, 1810.

Napoleon III sent his soldiers to collect debts Mexico owed his country.

But Mexico -- it’s treasury bankrupt and debt payments frozen after the

U.S. took over nearly half its territory a decade earlier -- was unable

to pay.

After a two-hour battle, the French were forced to retreat. The tiny

Mexican army beat all odds by defeating what was the world’s greatest

military force.