The Story of Cinco de Mayo - Page 2

Benito Pablo Juárez

The Battle of Puebla occurred during a tumultuous period in Mexico’s history. Mexico had gained independence from Spain in 1821, but a series of political takeovers and wars—including the Mexican-American War of 1846–1848 and the Mexican Civil War of 1858—had left Mexico bankrupt. Mexico was unable to make payments on the large debts to England, Spain, and France it had accumulated. On July 17, 1861, Mexican President Benito Juárez issued a statement in which he declared that all foreign debt payments would be suspended for a period of two years, but promised that after this period, payments would resume.