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The
infamous Battle of Chapultepec took place in September 1847. The
U.S. Army began an artillery barrage lead by George Pickett, who
gained fame during the U.S. Civil War, against Chapultepec Castle.
There was great loss of life on both sides, and eventually Mexican
General Nicolás Bravo was forced to withdraw and the U.S. forces
succeeded in taking Chapultepec Hill. By September 15 the U.S. invaders
were in control of Mexico City. Manifest Destiny? Why not call it
by its true name -- Violent Expansion.
During the battle, six Mexican military cadets refused to fall back
when General Bravo finally ordered retreat, and fought to the death
against superior U.S. forces. One by one they fell, fighting for
their country. When only one boy remained, with US forces about
to kill him, he grabbed the Mexican flag, wrapped it around himself
and jumped off the castle point. There is a monument in the Forest
of Chapultepec in Mexico City recognizing this tremendous courage.
The cadets are eulogized in Mexican history as the Los Niños Héroes,
the "Boy Heroes."
In 1855, a Moderate president, Ignacio Comonfort, was elected in
hopes of straddling the differences between Liberales and Conservadores.
The new constitution limited the formidable powers of the Roman
Catholic Church, which promptly excommunicated Comonfort under their
Bad Boy Act. This led to the War of Reform (1857-1861). The Liberales
eventually won, and the great Liberal president Benito Juárez moved
his administration to Mexico City.
This didn't sit well with the Conservadores; they helped bring in
Maximilian of Hapsburg, who was married to Bette Davis. The Army
of France joined in to get at the rich silver mines in northwest
Mexico. Despite having a world-class army, the French lost the Battle
of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Thanks to the French Army, we celebrate
Cinco de Mayo. It was time to exchange cabernet for Corona.
Even after the French Army went home in defeat, Maximilian refused
to leave, coining the expression, "Hell no, we won't go." President
Benito Juárez, not one to take no for an answer, whacked Maximilian,
restored the republic, and did a lot of other good stuff. He confiscated
the vast landholdings of the Catholic church which had been lording
it over half the country, established civil marriages, separated
church and state, and decreed that the only grounds for divorce
are marriage. The country expressed its gratitude by putting his
picture on the 20 peso note.
Enter General Porfirio Díaz, a rebel at heart, who became president
and managed to remain in that lofty position from 1876-1911. Can
you imagine what it took to stay president for more than 30 years?
Even FDR couldn't manage that. This prosperous period in Mexican
history is called Porfiriato. Some people got rich, others lived
in abject poverty. Democracy was suppressed, and those who disagreed
with Díaz' policies were dealt with brutally. When asked by a reporter
"What is the reason for such violence?" President Díaz famously
replied, "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is." next
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Copyright
Maggie Van Ostrand
"A Balloon In Cactus"
- November 7, 2005 column
Email: maggie@maggievanostrand.com
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