Every May 5th Mexicans from Puebla and the United States celebrate their victory over the French at the 1862 Battle of Puebla. Under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin, the battle marked a turning point in Mexican national pride as the French troops led by Napoleon III far outnumbered their untrained commoners, yet  none-the-less, met with defeat. The ‘Batalla de Puebla’ became a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism, and reason to celebrate thru annual festivities for years to come.