© 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

BETTY DEBNAM – Founder and Editor at Large

TMTM

Next week,many people inAmerica whohave Mexicanancestry willcelebrateCinco de Mayo(the 5th ofMay). Somepeople think Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’sindependence day, much like our Fourth ofJuly. But Mexico gained its independencefrom Spain on Sept. 16, 1821.The Battle of Puebla

Cinco de Mayo honors a Mexicanvictory over the French army almost 150years ago, in 1862.

After Mexico gained independencefrom Spain, the government needed a lotof help from other countries. Other wars,including the Mexican-American War,had hurt the economy, or moneysystems, of Mexico.

Mexico borrowed money from Spain,England and France. Soon, thosecountries wanted to be repaid.

All three countries decided to invadeMexico. They sent their armies toVeracruz, a city on the Gulf of Mexico.

However, soon after their ships landed,the leaders of England and Spain calledtheir troops home. French emperorNapoleon III went ahead with his plan toconquer, or take control of, Mexico.

An uneven fightWhen about 6,000 French troops

reached two forts near the town ofPuebla, they met a much smaller force ofjust 2,000 Mexicans. But the Mexicanfighters pushed the French into retreat,or made them move back. The Battle ofPuebla stopped the French army fromtaking over the capital, Mexico City.

The French eventually did win,but they ruled Mexico for only aboutthree years.

Benito Juarez (beh-NEE-toh HWAHR-ehz)was Mexico’s leaderduring the Battle ofPuebla. He is knownfor his great courageand honesty.

American helpU.S. President Abraham Lincoln was

worried about the French invasion ofMexico, but he was busy with the CivilWar. He was afraid that if he helped theMexican government, the French wouldhelp the southern U.S. states with theCivil War.

After the Civil War ended, Americantroops helped Mexicodefeat France.An important battle

The Battle of Pueblahas become a symbol tothe Mexican people oftheir toughness,independence andbravery.

Mexican-Americans’ May 5 Celebration

What Is Cinco de Mayo?Cinco de Mayo is apopular holiday inU.S. states thatborder Mexico. Canyou write the namesof the states thatborder Mexico on themap?

Answers:A.California,B.Arizona,C.NewMexico,D.Texas.

A B CD

A. _______________

B. _______________

C. _______________

D. _______________

HOUSTON CHRONICLE Saturday, April 26, 2008

Mini Spy ...from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

Mini Spy and her friends are enjoying a Mexican hatdance. See if you can find: • man in the moon

• word MINI• cat • ant• fish• lips• tooth• paper clip• number 6• shoe• snake• olive

from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

TM

This year, Cinco de Mayo will be on alunes (Monday). Will you have a fiesta(party)? The Mini Page offers someideas for having fun and enjoyingMexican customs, or traditions.Have a Mexican hat dance

At many Cinco de Mayo parties, you’llfind a mariachi band. These musiciansmay play trumpets, violins and guitars.You may be able to find mariachi musicon the radio or on a CD.

The Mexican hat dance actually came fromSpain. A man dances around a woman,pretending to try to win her love. He throwshis hat to the ground. When she acceptshim, she steps onto the edge of his sombrero,or hat, and dances around its edges.

Hit a piñata

You’ll need:• a large paper bag• markers, tissue paper, streamers, other

decorations• wrapped candy• stapler• paper punch• a long piece of string

What to do:1. Decorate the bag with markers, paint,

tissue paper, streamers and other brightlycolored decorations.

2. Fill the bag half full with candy.3. Fold the open end of the bag over and

staple it closed.4. Punch two holes in the folded end of the

bag about 3 inches in from each edge.5. Tie the string through the two holes and

hang your piñata from a tree or a doorway.Blindfold a friend and spin him or her around.

Then have your friend try to hit the piñatawith a stick or bat. Take turns trying to hit thebag. When the bag breaks, share the candy!

A Cinco de Mayo FiestaEat Mexican foods

Mexican food is popular among manyAmericans, and many Mexicanrestaurants celebrate Cinco de Mayowith special dishes and music.

Tortillas (tor-TEE-yahs) are flatbreadsmade of corn or flour. Chilies are peppersthat can range from mild to very spicy.They’re included in many Mexicanfoods, including salsa and meat dishes.

Avocados are used to makeguacamole (wock-a-MOLE-ay), asmooth green dip for chips.

Fresh tomatoes are used to makedelicious salsa, or sauce.

Make Mini Page guacamoleYou’ll need:• 1 ripe avocado• 2 teaspoons onion, grated• 1/4 cup salsa• 1 teaspoon lemon juice• 1/8 teaspoon salt

What to do:1. Slice avocado in half. Remove pit.2. Scoop out pulp. Place in a large bowl. Mash

with a fork.3. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well.Serve with tortilla chips. Serves 2.You’ll need an adult’s help with this recipe.

Words that remind us of Cinco de Mayo are hidden in the block below.Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are usedtwice. See if you can find: MAY, CINCO, BATTLE, JUAREZ, VERACRUZ,CELEBRATION, SOMBRERO, TORTILLA, FOOD, GUACAMOLE, PINATA,LOS ANGELES, FIESTA, SPANISH, CHIHUAHUA, DANCE, MARIACHI,FUN, MUSIC.

Cinco de Mayo TRY ’NFIND

LET’S HAVEA FIESTA!

S O M B R E R O K F I E S T A

I W B R S E L E G N A S O L UH S P A N I S H N J D Q L X HC E L O M A C A U G L I E B AA M W C C V H A G M T P C A UI A K I V E R A C R U Z N T HR Y S N M E B F O O D J A T IA U U C Z X A T A N I P D L HM F C O N O I T A R B E L E C

from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

Basset Brown

The News

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Look in your newspaper for notices aboutCinco de Mayo celebrations in your area.

from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

Meet Moises AriasMoises Arias stars as Rico in the Disney

Channel series “Hannah Montana.”Moises, 14, was born in New York City and

grew up in Atlanta. He and his brother,Mateo, took acting lessons when they werekids.

He and his brother competed in an actingand modeling competition in Los Angeles andwere signed by a talent agency. His family

moved to Los Angeles so the brothers could pursue their acting careers.Moises got a spot in a commercial. Then he got roles on TV shows,

including “The Suite Life of Zach & Cody.” He got a role in the movie“Nacho Libre.” He just finished acting in the Disney Channel movie“Dadnapped.” He has also acted in plays and has appeared in severalmusic videos.

In his free time, Moises loves to skateboard.

All the following jokes have something in common.Can you guess the common theme or category?

Doug: How many peas in a pod?Dina: There is only one “p” in pod!

Dan: What is a chicken’s favoritevegetable?

Denise: Eggplant!

Darrell: What do you call a lima bean’s favoritehat?

Dawn: A lima beanie!

from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

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Go dot to dot and color this Cinco de Mayo party favorite!

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Rookie Cookie’s RecipeRoll-Up Tortilla Snacks

You’ll need:• 1 (8-ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese• 3/4 cup light sour cream• 1 (8-ounce) container tomato salsa sauce (divided)• 2 tablespoons lemon juice• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder• 1 (12-ounce) package tortillas

What to do:1. Mix cream cheese, sour cream, 2 tablespoons salsa, lemon juice and spices.2. Spread mixture evenly over 12 tortillas and roll up each into a long

cylinder.3. Refrigerate for 2 hours.4. Remove when chilled and cut each tortilla into 3 sections.5. Serve with remaining salsa as a dip. Makes 36 snacks.*You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.

from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

TM

Standards Spotlight:What Is Cinco de Mayo?

Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each weekwe identify standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer activities that willhelp your students reach them.This week’s standards:• Students understand the characteristics, distribution and migration of human populations on the

Earth’s surface. (Geography: Human Systems)• Students understand how historic events, people, places and situations contribute to our

understanding of the past. (Social Studies: Time, Continuity and Change)Activities:1. Draw a large plate on a piece of paper. Cut out newspaper words and pictures for Mexican foods.

Paste the foods on your plate. Put a star by your favorite food.2. Plan a Cinco de Mayo party. Use the newspaper to find food you would serve at your party, the

entertainment you would hire and three people you would invite. Explain your choices.3. Use a colored marker to circle examples of Mexico-U.S. connections in the newspaper. Look for

names of people or places, arts or entertainment opportunities, sporting events, and governmentrelations between the United States and Mexico.

4. See if you could organize a mariachi band. Look in the classified ads of the newspaper to findtrumpets, violins and guitars for sale. Look for a place where you could take music lessons to learnto play the instruments. Finally, see if you can find any ads for musicians.

5. Use resource books and the Internet to learn more about Benito Juarez. Use these questions toguide your research: Who was Juarez? What was his childhood like? How did he become the leaderof Mexico? What did he do for the people of Mexico? Why is he honored? Write a paragraphdiscussing your findings.

(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)

®from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

The first Mexican-AmericansWhen the Mexican-American War

ended 160 years ago, the United Statesgained a large amount of southern andwestern territory in North America.Many Mexicans lived in this area.

Most of these people stayed in theU.S. and became the first Mexican-Americans.A modern holiday

The Battle of Puebla is stillcelebrated in the Mexican state ofPuebla, butfor mostMexicans itis not animportantholiday.

However,Mexican-Americansin many U.S. cities and towns observethe holiday to show pride in theirheritage and to honor their attachmentsto both Mexico and the United States.

Cinco de Mayo celebrations are heldin many U.S. cities, mostly in statesbordering Mexico and where manyMexican-American people live.

Cinco de Mayo in Los AngelesLook at the map on this page. Los

Angeles was once a part of AltaCalifornia in Mexico. The city wassettled about 230 years ago, whenMexico was still a colony of Spain.Today, more Mexicans and Mexican-Americans live in Los Angeles than inany other city in the United States.

There are many Cinco de Mayoparties in Los Angeles on the 5th ofMay, but the largest one takes place onOlvera Street in one of the oldest partsof the city.

The United States is home to about28 million people of Mexican ancestry.The states with the most people fromMexico are California and Texas.

Many cities in these and other stateshave Spanish names:

• Los Angeles (Calif.) = the angels• San Antonio (Texas) = St. Anthony• San Francisco (Calif.) = St. Francis• Las Vegas (Nev.) = the plains• El Paso (Texas) = the passage

Cinco de Mayo in the U.S.

Chihuahua!In Chandler,

Ariz., Cinco deMayo festivitiesinclude achihuahua paradeand races. A kingand queen of thechihuahuas arecrowned.

The chihuahua (chee-WAH-wah),named for a state in Mexico, is thesmallest breed of dogs. It was developedmore than 500 years ago in Mexico.

In some cities and towns, signs inpublic places are now printed in

English andSpanish. ManyAmerican kidsstart to learnSpanish inelementary school.

Does yournewspaper have a

Spanish edition? Some papers publishin Spanish at least one day a week.

Some of your favorite TV shows mayhave Spanish characters or bebroadcast on Spanish networks.

A little girl dancesduring Cinco deMayo festivities inDenver.Denver has one ofthe largest Cinco deMayo celebrations inthe United States.

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Mexico’s influence in the United States

Next week, The Mini Page suggestscelebrating Mother’s Day by helping Momplant a vegetable garden.

The Mini Page StaffBetty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large

Lisa Tarry - Managing EditorLucy Lien - Associate Editor

Wendy Daley - Artist

Mexican Territory1835-1846

Gulf ofMexico