Fuertes de Loreto y Guadalupe, Puebla

Outside of Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is one the most popular holidays. In the United States, people celebrate by getting drunk on tequila shots while painting on mustaches and wearing sombreros.

The actual holiday of Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico's victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Today in Puebla, they have erected a park and museums around the original site of the fort. Visitors can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the city and walk around the park.

The French occupation of Mexico took place in the aftermath of the Mexican-American war of 1846-48 and the Reform War of 1858-61. After so much conflict, Mexico was weakened.

In late 1861, a French fleet invaded the shores of Veracruz before moving towards Mexico City. The French greatly outnumbered the Mexican with an army of 6,000. Mexico only had a group of 4,000 and they were ill-equipped. The Mexican victory was a huge surprise, but was a huge morale boost to the country.

We visited late in the day so the museum was closed. But, we were able to visit both forts and watched the sunset over the city of Puebla.

We started with the Forts of Loreto. Here is some beautiful baroque architecture and a very touristy Puebla sign.

Second, we visited the Fort of Guadalupe. This is where the museum and plaza are located. My friend told me that they sometimes have music festivals here. During the music festivals, the whole plaza is full of people.

Finally, we sat and watched the sun go down. It was the perfect end to a really fun day.