CrossCheck is headquartered in California, which was once part of Mexico, and we’re in Sonoma County, which is as far north as Mexico’s military infrastructure reached. Naturally, Cinco de Mayo is a well celebrated here, and throughout the country. 

Five hundred years ago Ponce de León landed on the coast of Florida and initiated the European takeover of the continent. Within twenty-five years the Viceroyalty of New Spain controlled most of Central America and Mexico. They projected their power into California largely by building a series of twenty-one Missions that eventually extended to San Rafael, about twenty miles north of San Francisco.

Mexicans rebelled against Spain in 1810 and California became part of Mexico in 1821. Their northernmost military garrison was in Sonoma, about twenty five miles beyond the San Rafael mission, and General Vallejo, who presided over it, built his Adobe in CrossCheck’s hometown of Petaluma.

Mexico was never able to establish firm control over California, and General Vallejo came to believe that the United States would inevitably annex it. This seemed even more likely after the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846, when thirty-three farmers and merchants took over the garrison in Sonoma and declared California an independent republic. Vallejo was imprisoned in Sacramento for a brief time while the Californians elected their first and only president, William B. Ide.

Ide served for a grand total of twenty-five days. It was around then that Californians found out that the United States had gone to war against Mexico. When the American military arrived, President Ide enlisted and Californians embraced their American future.

But during the American Civil War, Napoleon Bonaparte saw an opportunity for France to take territory by invading Mexico. In 1861 he landed what was then the premier military in the world at the port city of Veracruz, quickly taking over. From there 8,000 of his troops marched towards Mexico City – until May 5, 1862, when a much smaller force of Mexicans decisively defeated the mighty French invaders.

Americans commemorate that battle on Cinco de Mayo, the fifth of May. It’s not a holiday in Mexico because other battles are more important from Mexico’s point of view. But if the Mexicans hadn’t defeated Napoleon’s forces, the French may have established a military toehold. It is highly likely they would have used it to weaken the United States by coming to the aid of the Confederates. If that had happened, history may have been dramatically different.

The holiday was started by Americans of Mexican and Spanish descent in the 1860s and has grown in popularity ever since.

As we celebrate Cinco de Mayo and California’s history, we are pleased to offer check processing services to any entrepreneur to help them: Mitigate risk, increase sales, save time and money, and better serve their customers. We’ve been at it for thirty years, and we look forward to thirty more.