Stratfor's base in the capital of Texas gives us a unique view into what is possibly the most misunderstood yet highly geopolitical celebration in the Western Hemisphere: Cinco de Mayo. Though some revelers have already begun to throw back a few margaritas, we are setting the salt shakers aside to reflect on the legacy of the Monroe Doctrine. During the American Civil War, Mexico was bankrupt, trying to fend off a last-ditch attempt by the French to create an empire in the Americas. Under orders from Napoleon III in 1862, French forces landed at the port of Veracruz, where American soldiers had invaded during the Mexican-American War just 15 years earlier. As the French made their way up the Mexican heartland, they were stopped in their tracks at the small town of Puebla just southeast of Mexico City.