What Is Cinco de Mayo?
4. They Lost the War
The battle of Puebla was a momentous victory for the Mexicans and morale would have been soaring after the event. The Mexicans might have felt as though the French had had enough, but that wasn’t to be. The French returned again, overwhelming the Mexicans and ultimately winning the war.
That the French won overall paved the way for the Second Mexican Empire, a period when Mexico was under foreign rule. Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian was handed the rule over Mexico and appointed Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico. This period was relatively short-lived, with Mexico gaining independence again just four years later.
