 On The Line -- Issue 685 -- May 2, 2008  Online News and Views of Life in San Benito County with Herman Wrede Published by HollisterOnline.com -- Copyright 1995-2008 HollisterOnline.com
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On The Line -- Issue 685 -- May 2, 2008 Online News and Views of Life in San Benito County with Herman Wrede Published by HollisterOnline.com -- Copyright 1995-2008 HollisterOnline.com
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Residents of Sunbelt states have known the significance of Cinco de Mayo for a long time although those in other states have learned to appreciate the Mexican holiday in recent years.
Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for Fifth of May. It was on that day in 1862 that the Mexican militia and many civilians who lived in Puebla opened the revolt against a French force dispatched by Louis Napoleon of France to establish a colony in Mexico. Disaffected generals convinced the French ruler that the people would welcome his troops like conquerors and that the contentious nation would fall into his hand like an overripe fruit. Never mind that earlier in the century President James Monroe of the United States had issued a doctrine warning European kings to desist from any attempts at colonization in the New World. That country was far too busy with a civil war in 1862 to enforce the doctrine. Maximilian of the royal house of Hapsburg was selected to be Louis Napoleon's viceroy in Mexico. His wife, born as Charlotte to the king of Belgium, was fascinated by the prospect of ruling in that land and even changed her name to Carlotta to ingratiate herself with her new subjects. The French soldiers were caught unaware by the hostility of Puebla and many died during the lightning storm that dominated much of the battle. The French were forced to retreat and left many bodies of their comrades staring up sightlessly at the falling rain. However, the French soldiers were veterans of many combats on the Continent and won victory after victory in the ensuing struggle. But the Mexican leader, Benito Juarez, inspired his people to defend their homeland and resist the would-be colonists. So the fight continued for several years. Maximilian and some officers loyal to him were captured. Carlotta went to Europe to plead with Louis Napoleon for aid but he saw his plan would not work and put her off. In desperation she went to other royal courts but received no help from any of them. Her mind snapped and she went mad. She was eventually taken to a palace in Belgium where she lived until her death 1926, certain that any day her dear Max would come to get her to rule benignly with him in their Mexico. Even if anyone had told her that Maximilian was executed in 1867, her mind would not have accepted the news. A few loyal servants from Mexico carried out her commands with deference as befit servants to a queen. Cinco de Mayo is often misidentified as Mexican Independence Day, a holiday that falls in September and predates Cinco de Mayo by 60 years. But it is a significant date for all free men and women because it emphasizes independence and resistance to foreign aggression. Mexico's independence from Spain, that was achieved long after the struggle began at the beginning of the 19th Century, did not assure it happiness. Many so-called leaders of the people were interested primarily in lining their own pockets. But the people persisted. When war came with the United States, which even Representative Abraham Lincoln of Illinois termed as an unfair move to gain more territory, the people fought bravely against the interlopers. The United States gained a staggering amount of land by its victory in the war and with it many hundreds of thousands of residents. Many of the inhabitants resented the United States but as time passed, they and their children accustomed themselves to it. Some residents of what is now San Benito County are descended from people who lived here long before it became an American possession, and many others are the offspring of Mexicans who left the old country since then. There was friction between the Californios and the Yankees but they learned to live together and many became friends. Marriages between them helped wear down old barriers, much as the Saxons and Normans commingled after the Norman Conquest of England centuries earlier, but at a higher velocity. Tony Ruiz, a Gavilan College instructor and political activist, suggested that the county offered an attractive home to many fieldworkers because of its canneries. Whereas fieldworkers had passed through after they were needed for a particular crop, many saw an opportunity to quite their nomadic life. "When the parents and one or more of the grown children could make money after the crop was gathered by working in the canneries they could make enough money to make a down-payment on a home," Ruiz said. "Then when the canneries shut for the season, they could find other work to sustain them until the following season." That proved to be so for more than a century, and some of Hollister's most respected families today began their lives here in that way. But the desire, the ability and the willingness to work hard led many from the fields and canneries to other jobs. For many years their personal advances have benefited the community. In all phases of local life, people whose ancestors originated in Mexico have contributed their skill and ethics. Fernando and Joe Paul Gonzalez, for instance, are the only set of brothers who have each served as mayor of Hollister. Neither was successful to be elected to the county Board of Supervisors, but Fernando Gonzalez is among the founders of a committee that gives much financial help to local organizations, while Joe Paul Gonzalez is county clerk. Mary Lou Sanchez Andrade is the county treasurer while brother Michael Sanchez is principal of San Andreas High School. Pauline Valdivia has served as mayor of Hollister and still serves on the City Council that includes Eugenia Sanchez. Jaime De La Cruz succeeded Robert Cruz on the county Board of Supervisors and Bonnie Flores-Voropaeff is a candidate for a seat on that board now. Margaret Gonzales Rebecchi has long been an activist to encourage residents to learn the rules to become citizens. Mickie Luna and Al Gutierrez were among the charter members for the Mexican-American Committee on Education, which has raised scholarships for many promising high school students to go on to college. It would take many columns to include all the local Mexican descendants who have advanced the community but their contributions continue in many ways, not the least of which is inspiration to others. In celebrating Cinco de Mayo, we also honor the spirit of a people who fiercely defended their independence and cherished their freedom more than life itself. |
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