On May 5, 1862, the Mexican army routed superior French forces at the Battle of Puebla, in the process quite possibly saving the United States’ bacon.

You see, Napoleon III was not entirely unaware of a little something raging here in the U.S. called the Civil War. It was Napoleon’s idea that by moving in while the union was compromised, he might be able to strike an alliance with the Confederacy and further advance French interests in North America. If not for the events of Cinco de Mayo, we could all be wearing berets right now and saying things like “mais oui.”

Mexico’s underdog victory at Puebla postponed the French advance for an entire year, plenty of time for Lincoln’s generals to score enough decisive victories that no matter what Napoleon’s designs, they likely would have had very little impact on the outcome of the War Between the States.

Since Mexico’s historic upset, acquisitive European forces have thought twice before attempting to invade any country in the Americas. So be sure to hoist a margarita to our brothers and sisters to the south.

I’ll be adding tequila to my coffee and nachos to my oatmeal for Cinco de Mayo!

¡Viva México!

“Sones de Mariachi” by Blas Galindo

“Xochipilli” by Carlos Chavez, composed for MoMA to showcase pre-Columbian Aztec instruments

Segovia plays “Sonata Mexicana” by Manuel Ponce

“The Night of the Mayas” by Silvestre Revueltas

An encore by Revueltas, “Ocho por radio”

“Huapango” by José Pablo Moncayo

I love how YouTube assumes that since I am clicking on videos of Mexican music that my ads should now be in Spanish. Mayo my!