Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) will be here soon.
Many of you have heard of it, but who knows what it is?
It is a celebration of freedom and democracy in the US and Mexico.
During the American Civil War, the Mexican Army
(against overwhelming odds, in an unlikely victory)
defeated the French forces in the state of Puebla on May 5, 1862.
France wanted to break up the American Union.
The Mexican’s great victory kept Napoleon III from supplying the confederates.
This allowed the North time to build a powerful army.
The Union won victory at Vicksburg and Gettysburg, 14 months after the battle of Puebla.
In effect, Cinco de Mayo signaled the end of the Civil War.
So May 5th is a celebration for Mexicans and Americans.

Another Mexican culture is Lucha Libre.
It means “free fighting”, and is a form of wrestling, characterized by colorful masks.
Lucha libre wrestlers are known as luchadores.

This is a very silly, but easy pattern.
And it is a good way for using up all those tiny balls of yarn that have been accumulating.
So grab your hooks, and later on we can have a thumb-match.