May DOTM

Airport- MMPB
Hermanos Serdan International Airport
Division: Open

Well, folks, it's May! One of the dates that's always thought of in May is the 5th of May, more commonly know as "Cinco de Mayo", a day of celebration of Mexican and Latin American culture.
But what IS Cinco de Mayo? Some people think it's Mexico's day of independence, but it's not (September 16th is Mexico's independence day, and is the most important national holiday in Mexico). Cinco de Mayo commemorates an important battle, the Battle of Puebla, May 5th 1862. At this battle, a small force of Mexican soldiers successfully defended against a much larger, and better equipped, French military force. This was a major boost to morale for the Mexican army, and slowed the advance of the French forces. Some historians posit that this war marked the last time that a European power has invaded any country in the Americas, and claim that if the Battle of Puebla had not happened, France would have aided the Confederacy during the American Civil War. However, the French finally took the city, during the Siege of Puebla, in March of 1863.
Puebla Airport is located about 15 miles northwest of the two forts, Fort Loreto and Fort Guadalupe, where the battle took place. The airport is also considered a part of the Mexico City metro airport system. One of the weather advisories for MMPB includes volcanic ash- as it is about 20 miles from Popocatépetl, an active volcano.

For more information, see the forum post located HERE.