Today we are joined by Don Miles, author of the new book “Cinco de Mayo.” Don, thank you for joining us today.
I understand you wrote this book to clarify the historical events leading up to Cinco de Mayo and to educate readers on the actual importance of the day. I’ll admit, I was one who thought it was the Mexican Independence Day. Can you help me understand the historical sequence of that time period?
a. Mexico had just finished its own civil war between liberals and conservatives, 1858-60.
b. Conservatives lost, but emptied the national treasury before their leaders fled to Europe.
c. Incoming liberals tried to negotiate installment payments of national debt. Failing an agreement, France, Britain & Spain seized Mexican customs houses. Britain & Spain backed out when they discovered they were being “used” by the French.
d. The French emperor wanted to occupy Mexico and then help the Confederates win their American Civil War against the United States.
e. On May 5, 1862, the French, who were considered the world’s most powerful army, lost a stunning upset to a rag-tag, machete-carrying Mexican army. Even the Mexicans were surprised that they had won, but it inspired them to persevere for five years until the French finally evacuated and the puppet emperor they had sent (Maximilian) was executed.
What piqued your interest in writing a book about these events?
The principal of an elementary school where I was teaching (in Texas) told the whole school on May 5th that, “This is Mexican Independence Day, boys and girls, just like our Fourth of July.” I went to her office to tell her that that was wrong, (Mex. Ind. is Sept. 16.)
She told me, “Don’t make trouble. We’ve always taught it that way.” I looked for a book that would prove her wrong, but there was nothing in print at the adult level. There were 56 children’s books on the market, most of them telling how to make a piñata for a classroom party. No details about the history.
That’s when I decided to write the book for adults.
How did you conduct the research for your book?
My wife was originally from Mexico City, and we had traveled all over Mexico for more than forty years, so we knew a lot about the geography and the background. A great deal of time was spent in the stacks of libraries in at least six Mexican cities, the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, and – most of all – in the stacks of the Benson Latin American Library at the University of Texas in Austin.
What are your hopes as you circulate the book?
Universities, high schools, museums and libraries look as though they’ll be the most promising buyers of this book. It will come out in two Spanish editions in 2009, one for students and one for Latin America. Then, a novel about the topic in both English and Spanish will follow about a year later.
As for getting into mainstream bookstores with it, I asked for advice Book Expo America in New York last year, and one panel member told me, “just change the title to The Secret Diary of Anna Nicole Smith.”
Oh, sure!
Best of luck in all you do, Don, and thank you for helping me better understand this important event in history.