Ángel Martínez, also known as the Machetero or El Machete was a Mexican general during the 19th-century. He had a prominent military career during the

Second French intervention in Mexico The second French intervention in Mexico (), also known as the Second Franco-Mexican War (1861–1867), was a military invasion of the Republic of Mexico by the French Empire of Napoleon III, purportedly to force the collection of Mexican de ...

, being a key commander across the state of

Colima Colima, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima, is among the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima. Colima is a small state of western Mexico on the cen ...

. He was also a major figure of the

Yaqui Wars The Yaqui Wars were a series of armed conflicts between New Spain, and its successor state, the Mexico, Mexican Republic, against the Yaqui people, Yaqui Native Americans in the United States, Natives. The period began in 1533 and lasted until 19 ...

, notably ordering the execution of

Cajemé Cajemé (born José María Bonifacio Leyba Pérez, May 14, 1835 – April 23, 1887) was a Yaqui people, Yaqui military leader in the Mexico, Mexican state of Sonora. Cajemé or Kahe'eme means 'one who does not stop to drink ater in the Yaqui ...

Early military career

He was born in the state of

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

in 1837, but his home city remains disputed as his service record states he was born in Arandas while his death certificate states that he was born in Ayo el Chico of the same canton. When he was young, he settled in the city of

Tepic Tepic () is the capital and largest city of the western Mexico, Mexican Political divisions of Mexico, state of Nayarit, as well as the seat of the Tepic Municipality. Located in the central part of the state, it stands at an altitude of above ...

and began his military career on September 2, 1856 as a sergeant of the National Guard. He was within the ranks of Colonel

Ramón Corona Ramón Corona (18 October 1837, Tuxcueca, Jalisco, Mexico – 11 November 1889, Guadalajara, Jalisco) was a liberal Mexican general and diplomat. He served with distinction during the Second French Intervention in Mexico and after the triumph ...

to fight Manuel Lozada he was promoted to second lieutenant on October 26, 1858, lieutenant on November 12, 1859 and to captain on October 20, 1862, on which date he proceeded to organize the "guerrilla" of his name to fight against the

and the

Second Mexican Empire The Second Mexican Empire (; ), officially known as the Mexican Empire (), was a constitutional monarchy established in Mexico by Mexican monarchists with the support of the Second French Empire. This period is often referred to as the Second ...

. He was promoted to major on August 20, 1863 and was given command of the "Ramírez" Squadron and that of lieutenant colonel in August 1864, colonel on November 25 and ''General brigadier'' on March 1, 1865 and given command of the 3rd Western Brigade.

Service in the North

At the end of the year, General Corona ordered him to start operating in the north of

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales. It is located in northwest Mexic ...

and the south of the state, he liberated El Fuerte from the imperialist forces and began an offensive into

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

. On January 7, 1866, he attacked and captured the Plaza of

Álamos Álamos () is a town in Álamos Municipality in the States of Mexico, Mexican state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. Historically an important center of silver mining, the town's economy is now dominated by the tourist sector. Designated a ...

from a brusque cavalry charge that shattered the resistance of the Empire's defenders. He distinguished himself as a brave, active and inhuman leader who went to the state of Sonora to inject energy into the Republican cause at a time when other Republican leaders were beginning to lose morale and brought a system of ruthless and violent war that was unknown before and didn't show any mercy to his enemies, executing them on the spot or making them victims of strong exactions expressing that if they had caught him they would not forgive him, and therefore he should not give them quarter. The cavalry charges of the s armed with machetes made them popularly known as "los macheteros" as they scored decisive victories, which made them a feared force. After having recovered Álamos, he acquired elements and resources of the Río Mayo and the Rosario region under the command of Colonels Alcántara and Correa who won the battles of Bayájorit and Movas but fell back on the Rio Fuerte when a Native American revolt broke out and Martínez subdued them, returning to Álamos soon after. He returned to Sinaloa most of his brigade under the command of Corona, informing the National Guard that hos forces were organized and in April, he advanced on the interior of the State. On this date he was promoted to ''General de brigada'' and made conjunction with Governor

Ignacio Pesqueira Ignacio Pesqueira García (1820–1886) was a 19th-century Mexican general and politician. He was the Governor of Sonora over six times, with two of the six terms being an insurgent governor during the Second French intervention in Mexico. Chi ...

, capturing

Hermosillo Hermosillo (), formerly called Pitic (as in ''Santísima Trinidad del Pitic'' and ''Presidio del Pitic''), is a city in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the municipal seat of the Hermosillo municipality, the state's ...

on May 4 in the morning but in the afternoon of the same day, he was defeated by the imperialists. Having to evacuate it, he rebuilt his forces, marched on

Ures Ures is a small city and a Municipalities of Sonora, municipality in the List of states of Mexico, Mexican state of Sonora. Population In the year 2000, the total population was 9,553 residents. New figures from 2005 reported 8,420, meaning a co ...

but was defeated again and had to withdraw in the direction of

Tecoripa La Colorada is a small town in La Colorada Municipality in the Mexican state of Sonora in north-western Mexico. In 2005, the population of the municipality was 1,754, with 288 living in the municipal seat. History The now-municipality was founded ...

and Cumuripa. His battalions reorganized, and he headed for Hermosillo again, entering the city on August 13. The advance of two Imperialist columns forced him on the 21st to head for Rayón and other towns in the north. Oon September 4, he led the Battle of Guadalupe against the Imperialist troops gathered in the town of Guadalupe de Ures and completely defeated them, managing to also kill General

Edvard Emile Langberg Edvard Emile Langberg (1810-1866) also known in Spanish as Emilio Langberg was a Danish-Mexican general who served in Mexico's military during the mid 19th-Century. He participated in the various coups that the government experienced in the era, ...

. He immediately proceeded to Ures, which was captured on the 6th, and was instructed to proceed to

Guaymas Guaymas () is a city in Guaymas Municipality, in the southwest part of the List of states of Mexico, state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. The city is south of the state capital of Hermosillo, and from the Mexico – United States border, U.S. ...

. While en-route, he received news of the evacuation of the port by the French and went ahead with an escort, arriving in the early hours of the 15th. He ordered the persecution of the chiefs and officers who collaborated with the French and had fled to the

Baja California Territory Baja California Territory (Territorio de Baja California) was a federal territory of Mexico that existed from 1824 to 1853, and 1854 to 1931; it encompassed the Baja California peninsula of present-day northwestern part of the country. It re ...

seeking asylum. Some were apprehended in front of Santa Rosalía and others in

Mulegé Mulegé is a city in Mulegé Municipality, Baja California Sur, situated on the Gulf of California. Located on the Gulf of California, the population was 3,834 according to the Mexican census of 2020. History Indigenous peoples have lived in ...

and had them executed by

firing squad Firing may refer to: * Dismissal (employment), sudden loss of employment by termination * Firemaking, the act of starting a fire * Burning; see combustion * Shooting, specifically the discharge of firearms * Execution by firing squad, a method of ...

on the 25th.

Recognition and Exile

Appointed chief of the I Division of the Western Army Corps, he dispatched Colonel Dávalos by sea with elements that served as his base and in November, he went to join General Corona's forces. In his record of service, he was credited with more than 50 war actions during the Reform War and the Second French Intervention. Regarding his performance in the State, Governor Pesqueira expressed the following in a circular dated October 1, 1866 : Upon his arrival in Mazatlan, he was appointed Chief of the Arms of Sinaloa and held that post until 1868. He was then a candidate for the government of that State and dissatisfied with the resolution of the Local Legislature, ignored the powers of the same at the head of the troops that obeyed him, and he exercised the Executive Power for a few days but was defeated in

Villa Unión Villa Unión is a city in northwestern Argentina and the main settlement of Coronel Felipe Varela Department with a population of 12,263. Overview The city is strategically located in the heart of the Bermejo Valley, 1,153 meters above sea level ...

by General Corona. Seeing that his cause was lost, he seized thirty thousand pesos from the Mazatlan maritime customs office, left half in the hands of a trusted friend of his and embarked for

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. There, he paid for the education that he lacked, as he barely knew how to sign. At the outbreak of the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

in 1870, out of hatred for the French, went to join the Prussian Army and in January 1871, entered the city of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He returned to Mexico the following year, and President

Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec peoples, Zapotec, he w ...

prosecuted him for the funds he had taken in

Mazatlán Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican list of states of Mexico, state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding , known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast across from th ...

. Upon Juárez's death, President Lerdo gave him amnesty, and he was able to return to Sinaloa. He collected deposits that were given to him religiously and moved to Colima where he bought the "Paso de Río" hacienda and since then he has been linked to the local environment of that city.

Later career

In 1873, he was elected federal deputy for one of the Colima districts and in 1875, senator for the aforementioned State. In 1876, he rejoined the Mexican Army, defended the government of

Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada y Corral (; 24 April 1823 – 21 April 1889) was a Mexican liberal politician and jurist who served as the 31st president of Mexico from 1872 to 1876. A successor to Benito Juárez, who died in office in July 1872, ...

against the

Plan of Tuxtepec In Mexican history, the Plan of Tuxtepec was a plan drafted by General Porfirio Díaz in 1876 and proclaimed on 10 January 1876 in the Villa de Ojitlán municipality of San Lucas Ojitlán, Tuxtepec district, Oaxaca. It was signed by a group ...

, holding the government of

San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí, officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí, is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 59 municipalities and is named after its capital city, San Luis Potosí. It ...

for a short time. He then operated in the states of Jalisco and

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...

, recognizing

José María Iglesias José María Juan Nepomuceno Crisóforo Iglesias Inzáurraga (5 January 1823 – 17 December 1891) was a Mexican lawyer, professor, journalist and liberal politician. He is known as author of the Iglesias law, an anticlerical law regulating e ...

as interim president of the Republic and escorted him to the port of Manzanillo. He then embarked to foreign countries but in 1878, disappointed with the Lerdista administration, requested his return to Mexico and returned to settle in Colima. He was again a senator for the state from 1880 to 1904, with brief interruptions in which he held military commissions. In 1885, he was at Sonora, taking charge of the leadership of the 1st Military Zone, participating in the

until they were subjected to impotence and most of them surrendered to the Government. He then apprehended and ordered the execution of

and managed to temporarily restore order. In January 1889, he was promoted to the 5th Military Zone which had its headquarters in Matamoros and on the following June 18, he obtained a patent for retirement from the Army. He died in

Colima City Colima (), located in west−central Mexico, is the capital of Colima, the state of the same name and the seat of the Municipalities of Mexico, municipality of the same name. It is the easternmost and second-largest municipality of Colima, behind ...

on May 22, 1904.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martínez, Ángel 1830s births 1904 deaths Modern Mexico Liberalism in Mexico Mexican generals Mexican exiles Politicians from Jalisco People of the Second French intervention in Mexico German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Yaqui Wars 19th-century Mexican military personnel 19th-century generals 19th-century Mexican politicians Military personnel from Jalisco