The Story of Cinco de Mayo - Page 4

Porfirio Diaz

In 1862, the French army began its advance toward Mexico City. Waiting for the 8,000 French troops on May 5, 1862, at Puebla, however, were about 5,000 Mestizo and Zapotec Indian troops commanded by General Ignacio Zaragoza and Colonel Porfirio Diaz, the commander of the Mexican cavalry. The French general ordered a frontal assault on Puebla. As Diaz’s troops rode to battle the French, Zaragoza’s fighters held their position and forced the French to retreat. The Mexican victory at the Batalla de Puebla halted the French invasion of Mexico.