In my previous article I told you about the infamous Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the dictator who ruled during a large part of the first half of the 19th century. Once he was deposed, a liberal government, led by another famous Mexican figure called Benito Juarez, saw itself confronted with the rather disastrous legacy that Santa Anna had left. The country suffered from severe economic problems and from the guerrilla warfare organized by the conservatives, who did not accept their defeat.
At this time, Benito Juarez decided to stop the payment of their debts to European countries, i.e., Spain, France and England, during a period of two years in an attempt to make the country healthy again. Those debts were due to loans of years past and to the demands of foreigners residing in Mexico who had seen many of their properties destroyed in the early 19th century. However, the European countries involved did not just go along (France, England and Spain signed the Convention of London in which they opted for a joint occupation of the Mexican coastal areas and more particularly the port of Veracruz). Interesting to know is that the Convention of London was signed six months after the start of the American Civil War, which was why they were confident that the United States would not intervene through the Monroe Doctrine of 1823. They sent vessels in order to claim what was theirs. Juarez received them, promised to pay them back as soon as he could. He was able to convince both England and Spain, who returned home. France, however, had another opinion on the matter. The reason? Well, Emperor Napoleon III, nephew of the more famous Napoleon I, was dreaming of a vast empire that included America. He sent his troops to Mexico, where they were welcomed by the conservative part of the Mexican population, who saw a great opportunity. They wanted to abolish the republic and become a monarchy. One of Mexico’s most famous battles had a place in this context: the battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862, during which the Mexican army succeeded in defeating the French, placing that day, known as the ‘Cinco de Mayo’, forever on the calendar of national holidays and in Mexican history books. However, there seemed to be no end to French resources and troops embarking on Mexican soil. It would not take long before Puebla was attacked again, this time with the French on the winning side. Not long afterwards, Mexico-City was taken.
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