Atlas of Battles

battle, major, nineteenth century

Battle of Puebla

Battle of Puebla was a battle fought on 5 May 1862 at Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, in what is now Mexico. It was part of Second French intervention in Mexico, which ran from 1861 to 1867. The recorded result: Mexican victory. Recorded strength: 3,791 against 5,730.

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Contemporary painting of the Battle of Puebla, fought in Mexico on 5 May 1862 (from which the Cinco de Mayo celebrations originate) between the forces of the French Empire and the Mexican Republic. In
Contemporary painting of the Battle of Puebla, fought in Mexico on 5 May 1862 (from which the Cinco de Mayo celebrations originate) between the forces of the French Empire and the Mexican Republic. In. anonymous, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought5 May 1862
WhereHeroica Puebla de Zaragoza, Mexico19.050N, 98.208W
OutcomeMexican victory
BelligerentsMexicoagainstFrance
Casualties and losses87 killed; 252 wounded; 12 missing; Total: 351 menand131 killed; 345 wounded; Total: 476 men
Part ofSecond French intervention in Mexico1861 to 1867

Where it sits in Second French intervention in Mexico

Battle of Atlixco, 1862Battle of Puebla, 1862Battle of Barranca Seca, 1862Battle of Cerro del Borrego, 1862Battle of Acapulco, 1863Siege of Puebla, 1863Battle of Camarón, 1863Battle of San Pablo del Monte, 1863Capture of Morelia, 1863Battle of Guanajuato, 1863Battle of San Juan Bautista, 1864Capture of Mazatlán, 1864Capture of Durango, 1864Capture of Monterrey, 1864Battle of San Pedro, 1864Battle of Parral (1865), 1865Battle of Tacámbaro, 1865Battle of la Loma, 1865Battle of Chihuahua, 1866Battle of Miahuatlán, 1866Battle of La Carbonera, 1866Battle of Guayabo, 1866Third Battle of Puebla, 1867Siege of Mexico City, 186718621867Battle of Puebla, 1862
24 placed engagements of Second French intervention in Mexico in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date5 May 1862
PlaceHeroica Puebla de Zaragoza, Mexico
19.050N, 98.208W
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength3,7915,730
Casualties and losses87 killed; 252 wounded; 12 missing; Total: 351 men131 killed; 345 wounded; Total: 476 men
Commanders
  • Charles de Lorencez
Battle of PueblaBattle of PueblaSiege of PueblaSiege of PueblaBattle of San Pablo del MonteBattle of San LorenzoBattle of AtlixcoBattle of San LorenzoBattle of AtlixcoCuernavacaTolucaPachucaZumpangoTehuacanCórdobaTeziutlánTaxco100 km19.050N, 98.208W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Puebla
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Puebla today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-12-01. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 2,151 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 2,080 to 2,300 m, 219 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 90% built-up, 8% tree cover.

built-up: 90%tree cover: 8%built-up 90%tree cover 8%
west to east, 10.0 km2,101 to 2,182 mnorth to south, 10.0 km2,114 to 2,180 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 3 times between 1847 and 1863.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1862

Battle of Puebla is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 160 in present-day Mexico.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1061228, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Puebla, revision 1379844913, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.