Mexicans recreate 1862 Cinco de Mayo victory over French

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People dressed as Zacapoaxtla Indigenous soldiers clash with others playing the part of French soldiers as they reenact The Battle of Puebla as part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

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People dressed as Zacapoaxtla Indigenous people clash with others playing the part of French soldiers as they reenact The Battle of Puebla as part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

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A man fires a cannon gun during a recreation of the Battle of Puebla between the Zacapoaxtlas Indians and French army at the Cinco de Mayo celebrations, in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

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A man fires a muzzleloader gun during the re-enactment of The Battle of Puebla as part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

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A man dressed as a revolutionary Zacapoaxtla Indigenous soldier drinks tequila during the re-enactment of The Battle of Puebla as part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

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Women dance with French flags during a re-enactment of The Battle of Puebla as part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

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A local resident dressed as a woman fighter participates in a re-enactment of The Battle of Puebla as part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

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A man plays a French army officer during a re-enactment of The Battle of Puebla as part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

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People dressed as Zacapoaxtla Indigenous fighters use a machete to cut the hair of a person dressed as a French soldier, as they re-enact The Battle of Puebla as part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

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A man dressed as a revolutionary Zacapoaxtla Indigenous soldier loads a muzzleloader with gunpowder during the re-enactment of The Battle of Puebla as part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

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A man dressed as a revolutionary Zacapoaxtla Indigenous soldier marches during the re-enactment of The Battle of Puebla as part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

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A woman with an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe on her skirt dances during a re-enactment of The Battle of Puebla as part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

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Women dance during a re-enactment of The Battle of Puebla as part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Residents in Mexico City marched, danced and fired blanks from muskets Thursday to mark the 160th anniversary of the 1862 victory over French troops in the nearby city of Puebla.

Known as the Battle of Puebla, the victory gave rise to the Cinco de Mayo, a holiday more celebrated in the United States than in Mexico.

The French invasion of the 1860s was eventually, if briefly, successful.

The invasion set up the 1864-67 reign of Emperor Maximillian, who was later deposed and executed.

Puebla residents also dressed as French troops and Zacapoaxtlas, the Indigenous and farmer contingent that helped Mexican troops win.

Pedro Rodríguez, a customs service worker, dressed in the straw hat and kerchief of a Zacapoaxtla, with the modern addition of some sun glasses to ward off the harsh sunlight.

“This is about winning the battle in honor of the flag of Mexico,” Rodríguez said.