H.R. No. 1111 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, Texans and many other Americans will join with our 1-2 neighbors south of the Rio Grande on May 5, 1996, in celebrating 1-3 Cinco de Mayo, a holiday commemorating the legendary Mexican 1-4 victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla, for the spirit and 1-5 sentiment of this holiday echo many time-honored principles that 1-6 Americans hold dear; and 1-7 WHEREAS, After chafing under Spanish colonization for several 1-8 centuries, Mexico threw off the chains of colonial oppression and 1-9 declared herself a free and independent nation in 1821, but the 1-10 transition to democracy was a painstaking process, and the mid-19th 1-11 century saw the young nation saddled with debt and struggling to 1-12 maintain a stable representative government; and 1-13 WHEREAS, Meanwhile, the imperial powers of Europe sought to 1-14 recover some of the rich territory they had lost during 1-15 independence movements of the late 18th and early 19th centuries; 1-16 when President Benito Juarez declared a two-year moratorium on 1-17 Mexico's European debts in 1861, Spain, France, and England joined 1-18 forces to invade Mexico and force repayment of the debt; and 1-19 WHEREAS, By 1862, England and Spain had withdrawn their 1-20 forces, but the remaining French army had begun the march inland 1-21 toward Mexico City; Ignacio Seguin Zaragoza, a native of Presidio 1-22 La Bahia near present-day Goliad, Texas, strategically deployed his 1-23 men in the hills above Puebla, a town southeast of the capital, 1-24 while he in turn led a vanguard of troops to harass the advancing 2-1 French forces; and 2-2 WHEREAS, Once they reached Puebla, the invaders encountered 2-3 fierce and expertly coordinated resistance from Zaragoza's 2-4 soldiers; during long hours of pitched battle, the French lost 2-5 hundreds of men and finally fell back in retreat; and 2-6 WHEREAS, The victory at Puebla on May 5, 1862, was a 2-7 defining moment for the Republic of Mexico, for by conquering one 2-8 of the world's finest armies, the courageous Mexican forces struck 2-9 a valiant blow against imperialism and made a lasting contribution 2-10 to the struggle for democracy; and 2-11 WHEREAS, Today, the anniversary of that famous battle is 2-12 celebrated in many U.S. cities as well as Mexico, but Cinco de Mayo 2-13 celebrations in Texas are unique because they pay tribute to our 2-14 shared heritage with Mexico; Ignacio Zaragoza, born in Texas while 2-15 it was still part of the Mexican state of Coahuila, holds a 2-16 distinctive place in history as a true Tejano, a son of both Texas 2-17 and Mexico, and his determination to honor and defend "la patria," 2-18 the homeland, is as inspiring today as it was more than a century 2-19 ago; and 2-20 WHEREAS, Traditionally observed with festive music, dancing, 2-21 games, colorful arts and crafts, and a wide array of culinary 2-22 treats, Cinco de Mayo celebrations have truly become part of the 2-23 rich cultural fabric of the Lone Star State and thus are deserving 2-24 of special legislative recognition; now, therefore, be it 2-25 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 2-26 Legislature hereby commemorate the observance of 1996 Cinco de Mayo 2-27 festivities around the state.