MEXICO. Battle of Puebla Gold Award Medal, 1862. CHOICE UNCIRCULATED. Grove-D-172-1. Diameter: 25mm; Weight: 11.75 gms. By Navalon. Awarded to officers (chiefs to lieutenant colonels) who defended the City of Puebla against the French Army on 5 May 1862. Obverse: Legend in six lines within wreath of sempervivum; Reverse: Legend in nine lines within laurel wreath. Edge: Clasp and hanger attached at the top (ribbon missing); otherwise plain. Highly brilliant and lustrous, this medal is for the efforts exerted by Mexican forces in repelling the French on Cinco de Mayo in 1862, hence the ensuing celebration of the holiday throughout portions of the United States with a connection to Mexican-American heritage and culture. From the Barquera Collection.
