Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín was born in Goliad, Texas, in 1829, when Texas was part of Mexico. His family lived on a Mexican fort because his father was a soldier in the army. Ignacio wanted to be a just like his father! When he was seven, Texas became independent from Mexico, and the family had to move to Matamoros, Mexico. Later they moved to Monterrey.
Ignacio tried to join the Mexican army in 1846 when the United States declared war, but he was too young. He was finally able to join the armed forces when he turned 24. An outstanding soldier, he was named the commander of the Mexican army and navy by President Benito Juárez. In 1862, he had to defend his country against the invading French army, one of the strongest in the world. The Mexican troops were mostly volunteers—including women and Zapotec indigenous people—and their weapons were no match for the French.
This bilingual picture book recounts the story of the Battle of Puebla and the Mexican army’s unexpected win against a much stronger foe. Today this victory is celebrated in the United States as Cinco de Mayo, a day to commemorate the Mexican roots of many US citizens. This non-fiction picture book for older elementary school students contains realistic illustrations depicting the Mexican general and his times.
“Discover the story of the man behind Cinco de Mayo. Amid the deaths of his wife and three of their children due to typhoid, Zaragoza used his knowledge of the terrain and cunning strategies at the Battle of Puebla to best the French army and thus secure his spot in Mexico’s history. Truly informative.”—Kirkus Reviews
JOSÉ ANGEL GUTIÉRREZ, Professor Emeritus of Political Science and founder of the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas-Arlington, was a leader of the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. He is the author of several books for adults and a book for children, I Am Olga, the First Latina Jet Fighter Pilot (Austin Macauley Publishers, 2019). He lives and works in Redlands, California.
STEPHEN MARCHESI has illustrated more than 70 children’s books, including ¿Quien fue Rosa Parks?/Who Was Rosa Parks? (Santillana, 2016) and The Mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle (Grosset & Dunlap, 2010). He lives and works in Las Vegas, Nevada.
GABRIELA BAEZA VENTURA is an associate professor of Spanish at the University of Houston. She has translated numerous children’s books, including Dalia’s Wondrous Hair / El cabello maravilloso de Dalia (Arte Público Press, 2014), There’s a Name for this Feeling: Stories / Hay un nombre para lo que siento: Cuentos (2014), Adelita and the Veggie Cousins / Adelita y las primas verduritas (2011) and Remembering Grandma / Recordando a Abuela (2003).
Learn more by visiting her faculty page.
ATOS Interest Level: Lower Grades
Category: Picture Book
LEXILE: 470L
LEXILE Spanish: 500L
