Cinco de Mayo Webquest

So, what is Cinco de Mayo, you ask? Well, this Webquest is designed to allow you to
find that out for yourself as you travel through the internet searching for specific
areas relating to El Cinco de mayo. You
need to find out as much information as possible.
You will use the information to prepare a 125-150 word article that will be the final
part of your eportfolio! You will be choosing to report on one of the following
departments: History
Hunters, Festive Foods, Modern Music & Moves, Fascinating Facts, and
Typical Traditions.

I. Pre-Investigation

Answer the preliminary questions below - (copy and paste the questions below into
a Word document and type in your answers; then print out and turn in)

Answer the following questions based on what information you know right now
(before doing any research).

What is Cinco de mayo? Cinco de Mayo is a holiday celebrated on May 5

What does it celebrate? It celebrates Mexican culture and heritage. Also,

celebrates a win at the Battle of Puebla.
2

Who celebrates Cinco de mayo? Mexicans and Americans

How is Cinco de mayo celebrated?

List everything else you know about this holiday (prior to doing your
research). It is celebrated more in America than in other places.
5

II. Research

History Hunters
1

Who were the following people?

Benito Juarez was a Mexican lawyer and a politician. He was president of

Mexico during the time of the Battle of Puebla.
-

Porfirio Diaz was a soldier and eventually president of Mexico.

Ignacio Zaragoza was a general in the Mexican army, known for defeating
the French at the Battle of Puebla.
-

Napoleon III was the president of France and led the French into Mexico
during the Battle of Puebla.
-

Maximilian was the only monarch of the second Mexican empire.

What role did each of these people play? ^^

What is the biggest misconception about Cinco de mayo? It is the fact that it
is not Mexican Independence day, which is what a lot of people think.
3

What caused the conflict that led to the Battle of Puebla? The French invaded
Mexico to attempt to create a French State.
4

Explain what happened at the Battle of Puebla. Napoleon III and his French
army invaded Mexico to try to conquer it. Benito Juarez and his Mexican army
fought back and won the war for Mexico.
5

How long did the conflict last and in what year did it end? This ended in
1862.
6

What was the end result of the conflict? It ended with the Mexicans keeping
their land as winners of the battle.
7

Cinco de mayo - the real story

History of Cinco de mayo - in English & Spanish
Mexico Online - Historical background
Historical facts at fiestacincodemayo.com
Historical figures

Festive Foods

1. Explain what the following foods are:

-

Mole- a traditional Mexican sauce made up of chocolate and chile peppers.

Chipotle is a smoked dried jalepeno pepper

Chilaquiles is a corn tortilla covered in green and red mole sauce.

Enchilada is a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a chili
pepper sauce.
-

Name and describe three typical foods served at Cinco de mayo celebrations.
(not including the ones listed above)- Chalupas is a tostada platter. Menudo soup is
a traditional Mexican soup made with beef stomach in broth with a red chili pepper
base. Lamb Barbacoa is served and it has been smoked underground in banana
leaves.
2

Describe a traditional tortilla. A flour tortilla is a type of soft, thin flatbread

made from finely ground wheat flour and corn tortillas are made up from finely
ground up corn kernels.
3

What is recommended in terms of eating while traveling? Try to stick with

basic plain foods because Mexican food is very spicy and can cause upset stomachs.
4

What food item accompanies almost every meal? Frijoles, also known as

beans
What is the typical Mexicans meal schedule like? Most people eat breakfast
at around 11 a.m. and drink coffee and sweet rolls when they first wake up. Then
lunch follows at around 3 p.m. Dinner is around 9 p.m.
6

What Mexican foods do we eat in the U.S. today? Quesadillas, tacos, and
enchiladas.
7

Glossary of Mexican Cooking

Mexican Cuisine

Modern Music and Moves

What are some common topics in Mexican songs? Love, betrayal, animals,
and revolutionary figures and heroes.
1

What is Mariachi music? It is a variation of the French word, marriage,

meaning wedding, and comes from the 19 century.
2

What kind of instruments are used in Mariachi music? Violins, guitars, basses,
vihuelas, and trumpets.
3

Identify at least two modern-day Mariachi groups and give a few details about
each one. Mariachi, las cronelas is a 9 piece ensemble from the south of Texas.
The members are bilingual. Villabros Brothers are Alberto, luis, and Ernesto
Villalobos.
4

What is Tejano music and why is it so popular? It has a modern sound, adding
musical influences from Cambia, rock and blues. It evolved among the Mexican
population in South and Central Texas.
5

Mexican Music
Info about Mariachi music
Mariachi music on Mexconnect.com

Fascinating Facts
Other than the Battle of Puebla, what three things does Cinco de mayo
celebrate? It celebrates Mexican culture, Mexican heritage and independence of
Mexico.
1

What was France's excuse for invading Mexico? They said that they wanted to
get more French land in Latin America.
2

Why doesnt the whole country celebrate the Cinco de mayo? Today, Cinco de
Mayo isnt very important throughout the country of Mexico. Mostly, only the
states of Pueblo celebrate
3

How many Mexican soldiers and French soldiers were involved in the Battle of
Puebla? About 6000 French troops and 2000 Mexican soldiers.
4
5

Why was the initial victory at Puebla important in Mexican history?

Why could el Cinco de mayo be significant to all Americans?

Typical Traditions

Victory at Puebla

What can you expect to see in a Cinco de mayo parade? In these areas the
holiday is a celebration of Mexican culture, of food, music, beverages, and
customs unizue to Mexico.
1

Other than parades, what other activities are common for a Cinco de mayo
celebration? Mini Mexican guitars complement the music and theyre also fun for
guests to play with.
2

Describe the typical costume for Cinco de mayo. Mini sombreros is the
traditional charro costume of the mexicans mariachis always includes a fancy
sombrero.
3

Why is Cinco de mayo celebrated on a much larger scale in the U.S.? For the
most part, the holiday of Cinco de Mayo is more of a regional holiday in mexico,
celebrated most vigorously in the state of Puebla. There is some limited
enthusiasm , but nothing like that found in Puebla.
4

Name and describe two popular decoration made for this holiday. Serapes, In
addition to bringing to mind the traditional ponchos many Mexicans were in
different parts of Mexico.
5

Mexico Online - Cinco de mayo celebrations

Fiesta Cinco de mayo

III Article

Now, write a 125-150 word article summarizing a component of Cinco de mayo.

(History
Hunters, Festive Foods, Modern Music & Moves, Fascinating Facts, or
Typical Traditions) Then, copy and paste into an e-Card
(http://www.123greetings.com/events/cinco_de_mayo/ ) and e-mail it to Seor at
senorflecker@gmail.com
Cinco de Mayo is a holiday celebrated by Mexico and North America. It is commonly
confused about what it is celebrated for. Most people think it is celebrated only for
the independence of Mexico. It is actually the celebration of the victory against the
French army in the Battle of Puebla. There were about 6000 soldiers in the French
army and 2000 in Mexicos. Ignacio Zaragoza is best known for leading the Mexican
Army to the victory that had saved Mexico from being invaded by the French. Cinco
de Mayo consists of very traditional customs and heritages. Many things that the
people had done to celebrate years ago, still take place today. Even though many
people dont celebrate it that often in most places, the states of Puebla think its
very important. Some things you will find during the celebration of Cinco de Mayo
are parades, Mariachi music, and many traditional dishes. A few of the common

dishes that are usually served are enchiladas and lamb barbacoa. People
recommend that when traveling, you should avoid some of the foods you dont
know about. The fact that most Mexican foods are very spicy, people should stick to
basic foods to avoid an upset stomach. There are also two famous Mariachi bands.
One is Villabros brothersand the other is Mariachi las cronelas. Mariachi bands
usually consist of violins, guitars, vihuelas and trumpets. During my research about
Cinco de Mayo, I noticed that there are many different heritages and traditions that
have been carried throughout the years while celebrating this holiday.

IV Turn in:

1 Pre-Investigation (Typed in Microsoft Word)

2 Research (Typed in Microsoft Word)
3 Culture article (e-mail e-Card)