This CD-ROM presents a wealth of visual and textual information to illuminate an important event that has affected Mexico, the United States, and other nations and communities in both the Americas and Europe. This CD-ROM has been designed for use by students, educators, and the wider community both in the United States and Mexico.

Cinco de Mayo marks the victory in 1862 of the Mexican army against the French in a battle that took place in Puebla, Mexico. In this battle, a small, poorly armed militia of Mexicans that included many mestizos and Native Americans defeated the well-equipped army of a major European power, considered the best in the world. The Mexicans were led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín, who was born in what is now known as Goliad, Texas, and who is considered by many Mexican Americans to be one of the first Chicanos/Mexican Americans. Having evolved over 140 years, in recent decades the Cinco de Mayo holiday has been transformed into an important social, cultural, and economic event in both Mexico and the United States.

The CD-ROM features:

• Images and historical information relating to the Battle of Puebla, including paintings, lithographs, etchings, photographs of the period, documents, video recreations of important elements of the battle, and other key historical events of the period. The CD-ROM contains more than 200 images, all in their original color.

• Video footage of contemporary celebrations of Cinco de Mayo in Mexico and the United States, including the Mexican town of Huejotzingo’s carnival, an event celebrated each year to commemorate the contributions made by a small indigenous army from Huejotzingo to the defeat of the French invaders.

• Review of the historical significance of the Battle of Cinco de Mayo, including such important elements as: (1) the role of Benito Juárez in thwarting the French and their conservative Mexican allies and the restoration of the Mexican republic in 1867; (2) the key role in the great Mexican victory of monolingual, mostly Nahuatl-speaking Native Americans under the command of Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín; and (3) the role of Porfirio Díaz during this period and its aftermath.

• Content divided into 80 sections, including an illustrated timeline of Mexican history beginning with the pre-Hispanic period through the election of Vicente Fox; the people and places of significance to Cinco de Mayo; the site of the battle; celebrations of the event in both Mexico and the United States; artistic interpretations of the holiday and of the battle; bibliography; related Web sites; and an index that cross-references important entries throughout the CD-ROM.

• And much more!
  

Cinco de Mayo: A Visual History was designed for secondary and college students to greatly expand their knowledge of the events surrounding Cinco de Mayo and to help teachers better educate their students on the events and their significance. Middle school teachers will also find the content useful, as will members of the general public and communities where Cinco de Mayo is widely celebrated.

The CD-ROM is as flexible and as comprehensive as you need it to be. Its extensive resources are easily customized for both brief and more thorough educational coverage of the topic.

ISBN 1-931010-08-0

CD-ROM $15.00