!Viva Mexico! Celebrate Hispanic Heritage with storytelling, art, and history Includes a story of Benito Juarez and Cinco de Mayo Exciting student activities inside! This program is generously sponsored by Chevron. TABLE OF CONTENTS History of Cinco de Mayo. 3 Aztec Treasures . 5 Age of Exploration . 7 Fighting for Independence . 9 Famous Hispanics . 11 Customs and Celebrations. 13 Fiesta Food . 14 Popular Hispanic Games . 15 Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl . 16 Art and Literature . 17 Los Váqueros. 18 Houston's Hispanic Settlers. 19 Credits Pamela Stone Ciaccio . Writer Sara Padua Abogada . Editor Summer Amin . Designer CincoHistory ofde Mayo In 1862, in the town of Puebla, a battle took place between the French and the Mexicans. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexicans' victory in this battle! Viva Mexico! Cinco de Mayo also celebrates the courage of the Mexicans who believed, “If you don’t give up, you can win — even if the odds are against you!” The Mexicans won. Viva Mexico! Now they knew they were strong. Who is Benito Juarez? But the war Benito Juarez was born in a small village called San Pablo Guelatao, Benito was not over. Oaxaca on March 21, 1806. His parents died when he was three Juarez becomes The French Emperor was angry at the news of “Cinco years old, so Benito and his older de Mayo.” He sent 30,000 more soldiers to Mexico. Soon, siblings lived with their grandpar- president of Mexico: they took over Mexico City. ents. After their grandparents died, President Juarez had to flee the city. Benito lived with his Uncle Bernardo, who taught Benito In 1858, Benito Juarez became president of Mexico. to speak and read Spanish. (Benito had spoken a This was a dangerous time in Mexico. Far away, in France, dialect called Zapotec). the French Emperor decided he would try to take over Free again! Later, Benito went to the city of Oaxaca for Mexico. In 1862, he sent soldiers across the sea to fight three weeks, where he lived with Mr. Antonio Maza and the Mexican people. For four years, the French ruled Mexico (May 17, 1863 helped with domestic chores. Mr. Maza sent Benito to June 19, 1867). But, Benito Juarez and other Mexican lead- to live with a priest named Antonio de Salanueva, who ers kept fighting. At last, in 1867, they won. The French left. sponsored his studies at the seminary for several years. What happened Mexico was free again. From that time on, no other country After that, Benito left the seminary and studied law at on Cinco de Mayo? has ruled Mexico. Oaxaca State University. President Juarez rode back into Mexico City. He raised Two years later, Benito moved to Oaxaca City, When the Mexicans learned the French army was the Mexican flag over the city. “Viva Mexico!” he cried. “Viva the capital of the state of Oaxaca, where he continued advancing, they hid in the hills and waited for them. On Mexico!” shouted the people. learning. Here, he worked as a bookbinder in exchange Cinco de Mayo (May 5, 1862), thousands of French sol- for the cost of his schooling. At the age of 28, Benito diers marched on foot. Thousands more rode on horseback. became a lawyer and defended the poor. The soldiers’ pointed rifles looked like a forest of prickly But he wanted to do more. Benito entered poli- spikes. Horses pulled heavy cannons over the bumpy tics and became his state’s governor. Benito wanted to How is Cinco de Mayo ground. bring peace again to Mexico, protect every citizen and The land was covered with weapons and soldiers! At celebrated today? make sure everyone had equal rights. Benito Juarez noon, the battle began. The French thought the battle inspired a very famous proverb: “Entre los individos would be over quickly. But, to their surprise, the Today, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in both Mexican como en las naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la Mexicans fought hard. and American cities. People young and old paz.” (Between individuals, as well as among nations, the By late afternoon, the French were parade in the streets — danc- respect of others’ rights means peace.) running out of bullets and cannon balls. ing, singing and making Many soldiers were dead or wounded. merry remembering the Finally, the French rode away. “Battle of Puebla.” 3 Student Activities Holiday fun... How many holidays, past or present, can you find listed in the Houston Chronicle? Divide into three teams and circle the holidays. Read the Dining Guide and Flavor sections, as well as the ads. (Hint: Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Earth Day, and more.) Pick-a-celebrity... BENITO JUAREZ Divide into three teams. Read the Houston Chronicle, especially the ✥ How old was Benito Juarez when Star section. Find stories or pictures of Hispanic celebrities. The he learned to read? team that clips the most can lead the next activity. ✥ Who taught him? ✥ In what city did he attend school? ✥ How did he pay for his schooling? ✥ How old was he when he became a lawyer? ✥ When did he become President of Mexico? -a-pa ✥ What did Benito Juarez do when Stage rade... he declared Mexico free? The winning team selects a celebrity or group of celebrities to lead a parade. Then, the class can create the parade, including the holiday theme, parade route, celebrity lead- ✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥ er, costumes, floats, etc. Get permission to stage your own parade outside in front of the school! If you can’t find all these items, pantomime the parade. Have fun! CINCO DE MAYO ✥ What caused the battle of Cinco de Mayo? ✥ What does Cinco de Mayo mean? ✥ Describe the Battle of Puebla. hron.com act s... ✥ What time did the battle begin? C ivitie ✥ Where was the location of the ✥ Go to chron.com. In Sports or Entertainment, find a picture of a Hispanic person battle? in the news. Write a summary of that news story. ✥ Which side was defeated on Cinco ✥ Go to chron.com. Search Jobs for employment positions available for people who de Mayo? speak both English and Spanish. List at least five of those jobs. ✥ After the battle on Cinco de Mayo, what did the French Emperor do? ✥ Go to chron.com. From Travel, find a place in Mexico that you would like to visit. Write about something you would like to do there to help you learn about the history ✥ When did Mexico win its freedom forever? or culture of that place. 4 Warfare The Aztec warriors left their homes and joined the army at the sound of the war drums. The warriors wore stiff cotton suits and carried wooden shields into battle. They fought with bows and arrows, spears, and wooden clubs. These fierce clubs were edged with sharp chips of volcanic rock called obsidian. The Aztecs did not kill their enemies. They took them alive to pay tribute to the Aztecs and used them as slaves. To the Aztecs, tribute was like a tax. It was paid with food, treasures and slaves to provide for the Aztec people and A ztec give riches to the nobles (ruling class). TREASURES Animal helmets Almost 700 years ago, Native American people called Aztecs lived in the country we now call Mexico. Aztec knights wore jaguar skins and feathered helmets in battle. They believed these helmets gave them the Land of Home & families strength of wild animals. the legends Aztec parents, grandparents and children often lived together in one house. When a baby was born, a spe- An ancient legend describes how the Aztecs wan- cial ceremony was held. For a boy, the family crafted a tiny dered for many years without a home. bow and arrow. For a girl, clothes and a spinning wheel were According to the legend, one day, their god, to m made. How ake Huitzilopochtli, told the Aztecs to build a city where they a war helmet... saw an eagle on a cactus. Commoners’ On an island in Lake Texcoco, they spotted their Materials: Tagboard, hole puncher, stapler, eagle, so they built the great city of Tenochtitlan. For 200 families yarn, scissors, markers, glue, “beautiful years, the Aztecs were rich and powerful. trash” like feathers, fabric scraps, Children worked hard. Their cotton balls, stars, etc. parents were strict. Girls helped in For a more organic look, you can How Aztecs ruled the home. Boys fished or worked collect dried leaves, nuts or ber- in the fields. Boys and girls went ries, or fur-like materials. to separate schools, where ✥ An Aztec ruler was called the Tlatoani. they learned weaving, feather Procedure: Cut strip of tagboard to fit ✥ The people were divided into classes. work, pottery and other crafts. Boys trained as around head as helmet. Then, decorate ✥ The noble class worked in the government. warriors. helmet with objects. Use glue to fasten ✥ Common people were craftsmen, fishermen objects onto helmet. You may draw symbols and farmers. of the gods or goddesses with markers. ✥ Rich people owned slaves. Gods & goddesses You can use more than one strip of tag- Aztecs believed that gods controlled their lives and board to add to helmets’ height. You may Moctezuma everything that happened in their world. The Aztecs made use stapler to staple tiny objects or paper Moctezuma was a rich and powerful Aztec sacrifices to: objects onto helmet. You can also punch ruler. He was carried around on a portable ✥ Tlaloc, the god of rain holes in helmet and attach ribbon, yarn or throne. When his followers saw him in a ✥ Huitzilopochtli, god of sun string for decoration. parade, they cheered and threw ✥ Coatlicue, fierce goddess of earth flowers at his feet.