The city of Puebla, site of the 1862 battle commemorated by Cinco de Mayo, is in Mexico’s Puebla state.
Puebla lies in east-central Mexico, southeast of Mexico City. The state surrounds the capital city of Puebla, officially known as Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, and includes a region important to Mexico’s colonial, industrial, and cultural history.
The city’s location helped make it strategically significant during the French intervention. It stood on the route between the port of Veracruz, where invading forces could arrive, and Mexico City, the country’s political center.
Puebla is sometimes confused with the neighboring states of Veracruz and Oaxaca because all are in eastern or southeastern Mexico. Veracruz was especially important as a coastal entry point, but the famous battle itself took place at Puebla.