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April 28, 1999
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The Battle of Puebla - May 5,1862
ollowing the long and bloody
struggle o f the “Three Year
War”, with Benito Juárez as
its new president for the 1861-1865
period, the Mexican governm ent
was left with no funds to cover
expenses in public adm inistration
91% o f the country’s income was
destined to settle foreign debts and
m aintain the army.
Faced with this situation, on July
17 o f 1861 the government had no
choice but to suspend payment o f all
public debts, including those sus­
tained with other countries, in order
to balance the budget and cover the
basic needs o f its people.
However, the foreign debt prob­
lem was used by the country’s con­
servatives who had lost the opportu­
nity o f gaining power as an excuse to
seek foreign intervention at the Eu­
ropean courts, who they hoped would
provide them with a prince or em­
peror to rule on their behalf.
F
The Tri partite Military Alliance
Under the London Convention,
signed on October 31 o f that year,
Spain, England and France agreed to
invade Mexico to ensure credit pay­
ments. The Tri-partite Military Alli­
ance which they formed was to gain
control o f the borders but M exico’s
national integrity and official gov­
ernment were to be respected.
While recovering the debt owed
to them was a priority, it soon be­
came clear that these countries had
other interests:
•Spain was now left without colo­
nies, a declining trade and the sole
hope o f boosting its dying economy
with a conserv ative government that
would help it regain part o f its old
wealth.
Britain, at the height o f industrial
and financial success, had extended
its empire through Asia and Africa
and looked to expand further West.
•The French Empire, which had
also gained considerable power, kept
a close guard on American move­
ments and sought to offer its burgeois
rue 1 5 - annua. C.nco de Mayo celebrating Hispanic cu.ture will be held In Portland from May ^ . ^
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class new markets by establishing
rich mining colonies.
And so, under the same flag but
each pursuing its own goals, the al­
lied armies set out to invade Mexico.
Spain’s forces were the first to land
in Veracruz (December, 1861) fol­
lowed by the French and English in
January, 1862.
On arrival, foreign representa­
tives sent an ultim atum to Juárez’s
governm ent in w hich they de­
m anded full paym ent o f debts and
com pensation for alleged dam ­
ages suffered by their diplom atic
envoys. Juárez proposed to settle
the m atter in a quiet and peaceful
m anner. For this, he invited the
allied representatives to an o ffi­
cial m eeting w ith the Foreign A f­
fairs M inister, M anuel D oblado,
w ith whom the exact sum owed
was to be determ ined. M eanw hile,
Juarez abolished the law w hich
suspended foreign debt paym ents
and declared all M exicans who
approved the intervention “ tra i­
tors to the n a tio n .”
»ponsor ™
forces were to establish headquar­
ters in C o rd o b a , O riz a b a and
Tehuacan.
4.Allied troops were to return to
the posts they originally held in
Veracruz should relations cease.
French Intervention
Early o f May, 1862 and a Count,
Laurencez, arrives in Veracruz with
reinforcements for the French. On
the same ship is General Almonte,
who immediately declares himself
supreme head o f State, reinstating in
his new government conservatives
who have been declared enemies of
the liberalist regime.
The conservatives had assured the
French that a large portion o f the
Mexican people would rise up in
arms against Juárez upon foreign in­
tervention. This did not occur.
When the British and Spanish
delegations learned that the French
intended to depose Juárez and install
their own ruler they broke the alli­
ance (April, 1862), settled their fi­
nancial differences with Juárez’s
government and sailed home.
French troops, on the other hand,
refused to return to their posts as had
been convened and under the orders
o f Count Laurencez now made an
advance toward the country’s capital.
The Invading army, made up of
6,000 well disciplined and excel­
lently equipped men who had won
brilliant victories in Europe also
relied on a vast supply o f provi­
sions and ammunition. They were
joined by several conservative fac­
tions who, though poorly armed,
were incorporated in the section
led by Almonte under Leonardo
M árquez’s supervision.
W ithout as much as a war dec lara-
tion, the French advanced from
Orizaba to Puebla, surviving an at­
tack by Aragoza’s troops in the
Acultzingo hills on their way (state of
Veracruz, April, 1862). Having failed
to stop the invaders, Zaragoza rushed
to Puebla to prepare a new defense.
The Battle of May 5
At this point Laurencez thought
that a total victory over the Mexican
army would be easy, and so, without
taking the necessary precautions, he
ordered attacks on the forts o f Loreto
and G uadalupe w hich defended
Puebla. (May 5, 1862).
The invading army was halted in
its numerous intents on the forts and
finally forced to retreat under pursuit
o f the Mexican cavalry.
News o f the victory won by re­
publican troops in Puebla filed the
country with joy and hope and, al­
though the battle fought on May 5
did not stop later attempts to over­
throwing the existing government,
it was a moral victory which raised
the Mexican people from the false
concept o f unrest and weakness in
which its enemies had held them.
The unjust French intervention
generated great sympathy for Mexico
across the continent as well as among
liberalist sectors in Europe; Spanish,
English and French press now cen­
sured Napoleon, demanding the re­
moval of invading troops.
The Treaty of La Soledad
T he a llie d nations accep ted
Juarez’s proposal and in February o f
1862, General Prim, representing the
allies and Manuel Doblado, on be­
half o f Mexico, met for talks in the
village o f La Soledad, where they
agreed on the following points:
1.Recognition o f Juarez’s gov­
ernment
2 .Allied countries were to respect
Mexico’s national integrity and in­
dependence.
3.Final negotiations were to take
place in Orizaba, for which the allied
Consulado de México
El Consulado de M éxico tiene
honor de hacer un reconocimiento
“Licenciado en N egociación y
I m in is tr a c ió n
A g ró n o m a ”
anuel M ichel, quien presentó su
>is: “Los efectos del Tratado del
bre Com ercio en los productores
manzana en Estados Unidos y
é x ic o ” en la C o n f e r e n c ia
N acional de “Las M inorías en la
A gricultura, Recursos N aturales y
Ciencias Relacionadas" que fue
llevada a cabo a principios del mes
de Abril en Roanoke, Virginia,
ganando el prim er lugar en su
categoría. Manuel ha hecho tres
p rá c tic a s
p ro fe s io n a le s
p rim e ra m e n te en Q u e ré ta ro ,
M éxico, después en USDA Port-
land, Oregon. La tercera siendo la
a n te rio rm e n te
m e n c io n a d a
investigación de su tesis en C hi­
huahua. México. Todo este trabajo
ha conllevado a una excelente
presentación. Muchas felicidades
a Manuel y tam bién a su asesora
Cathy Durham.
Reportó Departamento de
Estado que 13.9 Millones de
Estadunidenses Consumieron
Drogas en los Ultimos 30 Días
Según una encuesta reciente se
c a lc u la q u e a ir e d e d o r de 13
m illones 900 mil estadunidenses
co nsum ieron d rogas en alguna
ocasión en los últim os 30 días,
in fo rm ó el D e p a rta m e n to de
Estado estadunidense, y señalo que
el Presupuesto N acional para el
C ontrol de D rogas de E stados
U n id o s ,
que
no
in c lu y e
desem bolsos a nivel estatal y lo­
cal, es de 17,100 m illo n es de
dólares para el año fiscal 1999; un
aum ento de más de mil m illones
respecto del año anterior.
De este total, 5.9 mil mdd (34%)
serán pra reducir la demanda, lo que
incluye programas de investigación.
tratamiento y prevención. Esto es
más del triple que los 1,800 mdd
(11% ) que “vam os” a gastar en
acciones policiacas.
Otros 548 mdd (3%) se dedicarán
a la asistencia internacional y los
restantes 8,800 mdd (52%) a apoyar
a c tiv id a d e s p o lic ia c a s a nivel
nacional relacionadas con el combate
a! narcotráfico.
En la Unión Americana se castiga
severamente a los narcos. En las
cárceles, refirió el Dpartamento de
Estado, hay un mimero mayor al de
cualquier país . En 1998 había casi 51
mil presos, nada más en el sistema
penitenciario federal, convictos de
crímenes relacionados con las drogas.
Empero, el número de diogadictos
se redujo y esto resalta al comparar
los 25 millones de personas que
contestaron afirmativamente haber
consumido drogas en 1979, con los
actualmente 13 millones 900 mil que
contestaron haberlo hecho.
Por ejemplo, el uso de la cocaína
entre los estudiantes del último año
de preparatoria disminuyó desde su
máximo en 1985 y cayó basta 2% en
1996.
El uso general de la cocaína en
1997 fue de 0.7% de la población
estadunidense, o sea un millón y
medio de personas, lo cual es una
quita de los cinco millones 700 mil la
consumieron en 1986.
Piense. Su hijo es inteligente,
saludable y encabeza la lista
para ir a la universidad Le
encanta la trayectoria que su
c a rre ra ha to m a d o . Está
haciendo muchas de las cosas
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3VUÓ3rfC.
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5SJ5Ï3
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