It's their day

It's Cinco de Mayo, the date of the victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. (Although the Mexican army was victorious over the French at Puebla, the victory only delayed the French invasion of Mexico City; a year later, the French occupied Mexico. The French occupying forces placed Maximilian I, Emperor of Mexico on the throne of Mexico. The French were eventually defeated and expelled in 1867. Maximilian was executed by President Benito Juarez, five years after the Battle of Puebla. "The holiday, which has been celebrated in California continuously since 1863, is virtually ignored in Mexico.")

Rico says if the Mexicans ignore it, fuck 'em, we'll celebrate it for them. Rico's going out for Mexican food tonight...

On the other hand, the era does give us one of the great moments in military history (of which Rico is a junkie), on 30 April 1863, at Camarón: "A company led by Capitaine Danjou, numbering 62 soldiers and 3 officers, was escorting a convoy to the besieged city of Puebla when it was attacked and besieged by two thousand members of the Mexican Army, organized in three battalions of infantry and cavalry, numbering 1,200 and 800 respectively. The patrol was forced to make a defence in Hacienda Camarón, and despite the hopelessness of the situation, fought nearly to the last man. When only five survivors remained, out of ammunition, a bayonet charge was conducted in which three of the five were killed. The remaining two were brought before the Mexican general, who allowed them to return to France as an honour guard for the body of Capitaine Danjou. The captain had a wooden hand which was stolen during the battle; it was later returned to the Legion and is now kept in a case in the Foreign Legion museum at Aubagne, where it is paraded annually on Camerone day."