Congressional Record.
[Pages H2062-H2063]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CINCO DE MAYO CELEBRATION
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Toomey). Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, I had the pleasure of
joining my constituents in Goliad, Texas to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
Cinco de Mayo is celebrated with music, with dancing, with great food
and, yes, and Mr. Speaker, with great speeches.
Texas Associate professor, Armando Alonzo, said so eloquently,
and I quote, ``The important thing about this celebration is that it
comes from the citizens of the community, not from scholars, not from
politicians, or those of us who are at universities with special
training.
Although the holiday has spread throughout the world, its true spirit
is in communities like Goliad, Texas, where people honor the value of
their Mexican history and culture and the contributions that Mexican
Americans have made across the spectrum of American life.
Mr. Speaker, I stand before my colleagues as a proud first generation
Texan, born of Mexican immigrant parents who came to the United States
as children in 1910.
Mr. Speaker, Goliad is the true heart of Cinco de Mayo, because it is
the birthplace of General Ignacio Zaragoza, the young Mexican general
who defeated the French at the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. This
triumph was not only a military victory, but a moral victory over
tyranny and oppression.
General Zaragoza is rightly called the "George Washington of
Mexico. His dedication to the cause of freedom and democracy is an
inspiration and challenge to us all.
General Zaragoza was born in Goliad, Texas on March 24, 1829. He was
the son of a soldier, but was educated as a priest. He was a small
businessman for a short time, but his passionate support of Mexico's
struggle for democracy led him to follow his father into military
service.
During the years of the War of the Reform in 1857 to 1860, he joined
with the legendary Benito Juarez and fought in numerous battles,
including the Battle of Calpulalpan, which ended the War of Reform.
His military brilliance in those 4 years was recognized, and he
quickly moved up the ranks to general. When Mexican President Juarez
was forced to declare a moratorium on Mexico's European debt in order
to salvage the
Page H2063
bankrupt economy, Spain, England, and France sent their fleets and
forced the surrender of Veracruz.
Because General Zaragoza was serving as head of the War Ministry,
President Juarez initially sent one of his other generals to Veracruz,
Mexico. When the general saw the awesome forces of the great European
powers arrayed in front of Veracruz, he immediately resigned.
President Juarez then turned to General Zaragoza to lead the Army of
the East. Although the Spanish and the English withdrew after
negotiations with President Juarez, the French army, recognized as the
finest army in the world at that time, began its march towards Mexico
City. Napoleon III had dreams of an empire in the Americas, with Mexico
as its center, in alliance with the Confederate States of America.
However, standing in the way of French conquest was General Zaragoza.
The young Mexican general was determined to make his stand at Pueblo,
100 miles east of the capital. He did not know it could not be done.
His ill-equipped and outnumbered Army was composed of farmers, Indians,
militia and many young residents of Puebla. Many had obsolete firearms
or they used rocks, sticks and machetes.
The French forces attacked on May 5, 1862. The battle lasted
throughout the day. Despite repeated assaults by the French calvary and
infantry, General Zaragoza's army held. They were fighting for their
homes and their families and they would not be denied a victory.
The French were forced to retreat in defeat. After that battle,
General Zaragoza proved he was a man of compassion as well as valor. He
ordered his medical staff to treat the French wounded. He received a
hero's welcome in Mexico City, but while visiting his own sick troops,
he contracted typhoid fever and died soon after, on September 8, 1862.
He was only 33 years old. He was given a state funeral; and on
September 11, 1862, President Benito Juarez declared May 5, Cinco de
Mayo, a national holiday.
This weekend's celebrations in Goliad were even more special as the
birthplace of General Zaragoza was reopened to the public and
rededicated after several months of renovation.
Mr. Speaker, I want to especially thank Lupita Barrera and the Texas
Department of Parks and Wildlife for the wonderful job they did
restoring this great man's home.
Mr. Speaker, I am extending an invitation to the two Presidents of
Mexico and the United States to come to Goliad, Texas this next year.
The people of Goliad are proud and determined to keep the legacy of
General Zaragoza alive. The little town and surrounding communities
have taken the time not only to celebrate, but also to teach their
children the true lesson of Cinco de Mayo; namely, the freedom we now
enjoy has a price, and each successive generation must be vigilant and
willing to continue the fight if freedom is to endure.
Goliad is over a thousand miles away from Puebla, Mexico. Yet the
citizens of Goliad have adopted Puebla and Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico,
the birthplace of General Zaragoza's wife, Rafaela Padilla, as sister
cities. Cooperation, trade and interaction among the three cities is
vigorous. People along the border realize that what affects their
neighbors affects them as well.
The Rio Grande River--a Heritage River, has become a bridge between
two peoples and two rich cultures. We all prosper through open
communication, undying friendship and growing trade. This, too, is a
lesson of Cinco de Mayo. General Zaragoza helped preserve our Union by
defeating the French troops. Today, trade with Mexico is helping to
drive our booming economy and strengthening the North American
continent. In this interdependent world, we truly need each other.
As you can see, I--Congressman Hinojosa am very proud to represent
and speak in the Halls of Congress for Goliad and Goliad County. I am
starting early--I am extending a very cordial invitation to Mexican
President Vincente Fox and President George W. Bush to jointly visit
Goliad, Texas during May of 2002 to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. I want to
extend the invitation to all of you, my colleagues in Congress, as
well.
Mr. Speaker, include for the Record an exemplary speech given at
Saturday's Goliad Cinco de Mayo celebration by Professor Armando C.
Alonzo, an Associate Professor of History at Texas A University into
the Record immediately following my remarks.
Excerpts From Talk Given by Prof. Armando C. Alonzo at the Cinco de
Mayo Celebration
Good morning. I'm very happy to be here today with all of
you for today's celebration and I want to thank the Society
of General Ignacio Zaragoza for inviting me to be part of
this important event along with the city and county officials
as well as Congressman Ruben Hinojosa. I'm always happy to be
in Goliad because I also have some roots in this area because
my father was born and raised in Yorktown, not very far from
here. I want to make two points today without going too much
into the historical facts of General Zaragoza's victory over
the French in 1862 because others have already talked about
that.
One of the important things about this celebration is that
it comes from the citizens of the community not from
scholars, politicians, or those of us who are at universities
with special training. It's important that events like this
be planned and organized by the people in the community
because history is made by the people of these communities.
Trade and the economy are certainly important but this
celebration reminds us of the value that history and culture
have for Mexico and its citizens and for Texas and its
citizens. The people in this community have taken the time
and effort to celebrate our history and culture and that is
very important because of the impact that this kind of events
have for our children and for the entire community. Even
though we are about a thousand miles from Puebla where the
battle took place, this celebration still has connections and
its far-reaching impact is evident by the fact that there are
people here from the sister city of Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon,
Mexico, from other parts of the country, and we even have a
direct descendant of a soldier who fought at the Battle of
Puebla--the lady who lives in South Texas, whose grandfather
fought at the battle.
Memory helps to keep our history alive. This celebration is
a memory of an important historical event--the battle that
took place on the Cinco de Mayo. It's important for parents
to connect the memory of that event to our culture and
history and pass it on to our children.
This celebration, which goes back at least 55 years, keeps
the memory alive of our history and our culture for the
entire community. Professor Americo Paredes, who died two
years ago, said the Mexican experience in Texas is part of
the story of ``Greater Mexico. In his works 50 years ago
Professor Paredes explained how cultural influences, such as
language, music, the corridos, that are familiar to us,
theater, and other factors made Texas a part of ``Greater
Mexico. Today we see this ``Greater Mexico through the
flow of trade and people. I look at the Rio Grande not as a
political boundary but as a bridge between two peoples and
two cultures. The Rio Grande is a bridge that connects us
together rather than divides us. For us in Texas especially,
``Greater Mexico is part of our daily lives. In fact our
roots can be traced to Coabuila from which the Spanish
colonization of the provincia de Los Tejas proceeded. As a
matter of fact, the settlers initially called this land,
Texas, Las Nuevas Filipinas (in honor of King Philip of
Spain). Nuevo Leon and Nuevo Santander also helped colonize
Texas by sending settlers. So as we can see, the history of
Texas is connected to Mexico in different ways.
In Zaragoza we have a Tejano who is a hero of Mexico.
Ignacio de Zaragoza was born in this little village, in this
pueblito in Texas but his work, his values and his love were
for his country, his patria, instead of for Santiago
Vidaurri, the strongman of Nuevo Leon. Through his mother,
who was part of the Seguins of San Antonio, he was a multi-
generation citizen of Texas. Ignacio de Zaragoza was a Texan
of Hispanic origin, a son of Texas who moved with his father
to the lower Valley and then to Nuevo Leon. The legacy of
General Zaragoza is the value and worth that his life gives
to our history and culture. That is what this community is
celebrating today.
Thank you very much. I hope you have a good day.
