Battle of Puebla (Cinco de Mayo) — Mexico Repels French Empire's Best Army

General Ignacio Zaragoza, commanding a Mexican force of 4,000 including Zapotec soldiers from Oaxaca, defeated the French expeditionary army of 6,000 elite Zouaves at Puebla on May 5, 1862. It was one of the rare 19th-century defeats of European forces by a non-European army, and provided crucial time for Mexico to prepare. The French eventually captured Puebla and most of Mexico in 1863, but the May 5 victory became a symbol of national resistance. The date is now a larger celebration in the US than in Mexico itself.