Mexicans recreate 1862 Cinco de Mayo victory over French

Residents in Mexico City marched, danced and fired blanks from muskets to mark the 160th anniversary of the 1862 victory over French troops in the nearby city of Puebla

Residents in Mexico City marched, danced and fired blanks from muskets Thursday to mark the 160th anniversary of the 1862 victory over French troops in the nearby city of Puebla.

Known as the Battle of Puebla, the victory gave rise to the Cinco de Mayo, a holiday more celebrated in the United States than in Mexico.

The French invasion of the 1860s was eventually, if briefly, successful.

The invasion set up the 1864-67 reign of Emperor Maximillian, who was later deposed and executed.

Puebla residents dressed as French troops and Zacapoaxtlas, the Indigenous and farmer contingent that helped Mexican troops win.

Pedro Rodríguez, a customs service worker, dressed in the straw hat and kerchief of a Zacapoaxtla, with the modern addition of some sun glasses to ward off the harsh sunlight.

“This is about winning the battle in honor of the flag of Mexico,” Rodríguez said.