Ignacio Pesqueira
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Ignacio Pesqueira García was a 19th-century Mexican general and politician. He was the
Governor of Sonora List of governors of the Mexican state of Sonora since 1911: *2021–present Alfonso Durazo *2015–2021 Claudia Pavlovich Arellano *2009–2015 Guillermo Padrés Elías *2003–2009 Eduardo Bours Castelo *1997–2003 ...
over six times, with two of the six terms being an insurgent governor during the
Second French intervention in Mexico The Second French Intervention in Mexico ( es, Segunda intervención francesa en México), also known as the Second Franco-Mexican War (1861–1867), was an invasion of Mexico, launched in late 1862 by the Second French Empire, which hoped to ...
.


Childhood

His parents were known people from
Arizpe Arizpe (or Arispe) is a small town and the municipal seat of the Arizpe Municipality in the north of the Mexican state of Sonora. It is located at 30°20'"N 110°09'"W. The area of the municipality is 2,806.78 sq.km. The population in 2005 was ...
, Sonora, particularly Mrs. Petra García de Pesqueira, mother of the general. Still a child, and taking advantage of the stay of people from his family in
Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
, he was sent to Spain where with success, he studied the main subjects of the current programs, later going to
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to continue his commercial career. While in Seville, shortly after the death of
Fernando VII , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Charles IV of Spain , mother = Maria Luisa of Parma , birth_date = 14 October 1784 , birth_place = El Escorial, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Madrid, Spain , burial_pla ...
, he participated in the
First Carlist War The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833 to 1840, the first of three Carlist Wars. It was fought between two factions over the succession to the throne and the nature of the Spanish monarchy: the conservative and devolutionist ...
along with his classmates, and took an active part in adhering to the democratic movements that began in
Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...
. He returned from Europe at the early age of 18, finding Mexico divided between the
Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
and Liberals.


Beginnings in his Careers


Beginning of his Military Career

Pesqueira began his military career at the Texas Revolution under General
José de Urrea José Cosme de Urrea y Elías González (full name) or simply José de Urrea (March 19, 1797 – August 1, 1849) was a Mexican general. He fought under General Antonio López de Santa Anna during the Texas Revolution. Urrea's forces were never ...
. He attracted the attention of the state government for the courage and skill he showed in the persecution of the indigenous people of the north, who considered the Mexicans invaders of their ancestral lands. In 1851, he was wounded by the
Apaches The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...
while at Pozo Hediondo but he was then appointed Colonel Inspector of the National Guards on the Border.


Beginning of his Political Career

Known for the liberalism of his principles and his pure patriotism, he was elected Deputy to the State Legislature. When the Ayutla Revolution broke out in 1854 at
Guerrero Guerrero is one of the 32 states that comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo and its largest city is Acapulcocopied from article, GuerreroAs of 2020, Guerrero the pop ...
and against the dictatorship of
Antonio López de Santa Anna Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (; 21 February 1794 – 21 June 1876),Callcott, Wilfred H., "Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez De,''Handbook of Texas Online'' Retrieved 18 April 2017. usually known as Santa Ann ...
, he again joined the liberal army.


First Governorship

In 1856 an armed uprising was carried out commanded by Don Manuel Dávila in
Ures Ures is a small city and a municipality in the Mexican state of Sonora. Area It has an area of 2,618.56 square kilometers. This is 1.41% of the total area of the state, and 0.13 percent of the national area of Mexico. Besides the seat, the most i ...
against José de Aguilar Domínguez while Pesqueira was the Colonel Inspector of the National Guards as well as First Member and President of the Government Council. He was given these offices by the Organic Statute of Sonora in force in 1856. When the forces commanded by Manuel Dávila, supported by supporters of Manuel María Gándara's Gandarista party, they appointed
Ramón Encinas Ramón Encinas (19 May 1893 in Pontevedra – 21 March 1967 in Madrid) was a Spanish football player and manager. As manager, he coached Celta Vigo, Alavés, Sevilla, Valencia and Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Ro ...
as governor. Pesqueira then assumed the Governorship and gathered forces to fight the usurpers, being able then in that same year to return the governorship to José de Aguilar Domínguez.


Crabb Massacre

Henry A. Crabb organized and carried out an expedition to
Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...
at the invitation of Pesqueira himself. Although the expedition was unsuccessful, there were accusations that Pesqueira motivated Crabb to come to Sonora, to support him against Gándara's supporters. When Pesqueira was criticized for trying to use US citizens in military actions, Pesqueira ordered his expulsion, as the Americans refused and they were defeated at the Battle of Caborca and taken prisoner. By order of Pesqueira himself, Crabb, along with his men, were executed by firing squad which became known as Crabb massacre.


Plan of Tacubaya and the Reform War

He held the position of president of the Government Council, after occupying the state capital, fighting General Francisco Borunda in
Guaymas Guaymas () is a city in Guaymas Municipality, in the southwest part of the state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. The city is south of the state capital of Hermosillo, and from the U.S. border. The municipality is located on the Gulf of Cali ...
as well as appeasing the
Yaqui The Yaqui, Hiaki, or Yoeme, are a Native American people of the southwest, who speak a Uto-Aztecan language. Their homelands include the Río Yaqui valley in Sonora, Mexico, and the area below the Gila River in Arizona, Southwestern United Sta ...
s and fighting at the
Filibuster War The Filibuster War or Walker affair was a military conflict between filibustering multinational troops stationed in Nicaragua and a coalition of Central American armies. An American mercenary William Walker invaded Nicaragua in 1855 with a sma ...
. He returned the governorship of Sonora to José de Aguilar Domínguez who rejected it because of his illnesses. In the renewal of State Powers, Pesqueira was elected proprietary governor in 1857 to the great joy of his supporters. After
Ignacio Comonfort Ignacio Gregorio Comonfort de los Ríos (; 12 March 1812 – 13 November 1863), known as Ignacio Comonfort, was a Mexican politician and soldier who was also president during one of the most eventful periods in 19th century Mexican history: La ...
announced the
Plan of Tacubaya The Plan of Tacubaya ( es, Plan de Tacubaya), sometimes called the Plan of Zuloaga, was issued by conservative Mexican General Félix Zuloaga on 17 December 1857 in Tacubaya against the liberal Constitution of 1857. The plan nullified the Const ...
, trying to cancel the 1857 Mexican Constitution, he adopted the ideals of
Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican liberal politician and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. As a Zapotec, he was the first indigenous pre ...
who at that time was the incarnation of Law and the legitimate president of the country. Pesqueira spontaneously and decisively joined him in defending the Constitution, vigorously attacked by the old army in consortium with the clerical side. This allowed him to be recognized as a defender of the ideas of the 1857 Constitution and kept him as governor of Sonora during the Reform War. In addition to having suppressed a rebellion by Manuel María Gándara, he controlled the attacks of the rebellious tribes of Yaquis and Mayos and the . In 1858, José María Yáñez,
Governor of Sinaloa List of governors of the Mexican state of Sinaloa: External linksList of governorsof Sinaloa. {{DEFAULTSORT:Governor Of Sinaloa Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sina ...
, proclaimed his adherence to the Plan of Tacubaya and Pesqueira began a front between Sonora against Sinaloa.


War against Sinaloa

On April 3, 1859, together with Plácido Vega Daza, he captured the port of
Mazatlán Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding '' municipio'', known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip ...
after a battle that was bloody and hard-fought. Pesqueira attended with his investiture as Constitutional Governor of Sonora, and he was given the title of Provisional Governor of Sinaloa and General in Chief of the forces of both states and the
Baja California Territory Baja California Territory (Territorio de Baja California) was a Mexican territory from 1824 to 1931, that encompassed the Baja California Peninsula of present-day northwestern Mexico. It replaced the Baja California Province (1773–1824) of ...
. His plan was to continue to Jalisco, but he gave up since his presence was required in Sonora.


Guaymas Incident

Before continuing in the Reform War, in 1858, after a diplomatic conflict that varied in scale, the then American consul in
Guaymas Guaymas () is a city in Guaymas Municipality, in the southwest part of the state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. The city is south of the state capital of Hermosillo, and from the U.S. border. The municipality is located on the Gulf of Cali ...
Don Roberto Rose had to leave the port, illegally appointing a vice-consul Fawelly Allden while the Sonoran authorities weren't informed about this. The commander of the , of the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
, Commander W. O. Porter, demanded that the vice-consul be recognized but Pesqueira disagreed and demanded that Charles Pomeroy Stone be re-admitted to finish the demarcation of the lands of Guaymas, as well as the release of his Commander in Chief
Richard S. Ewell Richard Stoddert Ewell (February 8, 1817 – January 25, 1872) was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. L ...
. He also demanded the return of a mule that had been stolen from him and that if he didn't follow through all these demands, he would land troops in Guaymas. As Ignacio Pesqueira and a handful of men began to mobilize and the Americans vice-versa, a letter from Richard S. Ewell and a last-minute decision settled matters between both countries.


Indigenous uprisings

By 1860, he was once again in Sonora as he was forced by political and military events that demanded his presence, since his enemies had launched the indigenous tribes made up of the Yaquis,
Mayos The Mayo or ''Yoreme'' are an indigenous group in Mexico, living in the northern states of southern Sonora, northern Sinaloa and small settlements in Durango. Mayo people originally lived near the Mayo River and Fuerte River valleys. The Mayo ...
, Apaches, and
Opatas The Opata (written Ópata in Spanish, pronounced with stress on the first syllable: /ˈopata/) are three indigenous peoples of Mexico. Opata territory, the “Opatería” in Spanish, encompasses the mountainous northeast and central part of the ...
into revolt and robbery. After appeasing the Apaches in the north of the state, he needed help in the south so he personally sought to appease the Yaquis who had taken up arms again, at a point called "Las Guásimas" in
Guaymas Guaymas () is a city in Guaymas Municipality, in the southwest part of the state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. The city is south of the state capital of Hermosillo, and from the U.S. border. The municipality is located on the Gulf of Cali ...
. They escaped from being captured by their rivals, being saved by the old soldier Don José Montijo, who climbed him on his horse already wounded and with many difficulties. After that incident, he couldn't end the same with the Yaqui revolution because there were remnants of the Opata uprisings of Refugio Tánori, which he had to fight. At the beginning of 1861, tired of the revolts, he traveled again to Guaymas to the town of Tórim which was the epicenter of the Yaqui uprising, asking José Escalante y Moreno to take charge of the government. He then carried out several assaults and had quite a few successes, being able to suppress the Yaqui uprisings to a certain extent.


Estébez's attack on Sonora

In 1861 Colonel Estébez from
El Fuerte, Sinaloa El Fuerte () is a city and El Fuerte Municipality its surrounding municipality in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city population reported in the 2010 census was 12,566 people. El Fuerte, meaning "The Fort", was named a Pueblo ...
attacked the city of Álamos proclaiming the Plan of Tacubaya again, although this movement was not supported by the government of Sinaloa. Pesqueira was expecting him to enter the city of Hermosillo and after a battle in the city, Pesqueira defeats and ends any further invasions of Sonora in the war.


Second French Intervention in Mexico

Sonora, despite the immense distance from the theater where the initial events of the
Second French intervention in Mexico The Second French Intervention in Mexico ( es, Segunda intervención francesa en México), also known as the Second Franco-Mexican War (1861–1867), was an invasion of Mexico, launched in late 1862 by the Second French Empire, which hoped to ...
took place, didn't want to participate without the honor of being represented in the Mexican Republican Army that was preparing to fight. Pesqueira organized a contingent of a thousand men between two divisions, embarking in Guaymas in July 1862 to continue towards Mazatlán and from there join forces with the governor of Sinaloa bound for
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
.


Disaster of La Pasión

In 1865, during the French Intervention and the establishment of the Second Mexican Empire, after the end of March of that year, the French troops under the command of General Armand Alexandre de Castagny attacked the port of Guaymas and the Republican soldiers commanded by the General Ignacio Pesqueira and General Patoni had to withdraw to a place known as the Valley of La Pasión, north of San José de Guaymas. There, one of the strangest actions of the confrontation between French and Mexicans took place. Indeed, in May 1865, a party of only fifty French horsemen under the command of Colonel Isidoro Teódulo Garnier unexpectedly attacked the Mexican camp in which there were more than a thousand Republican soldiers under the command of Pesqueira and García Morales, sowing confusion and even the panic among those Sonoran troops that began a shameful rout. This action is known in the history of Sonora as "The Disaster of La Pasión".


Pro-Imperial Mexican Uprisings

The Disaster of La Pasión caused the uprisings to begin throughout the state in favor of the Empire with the indigenous rising up first and followed by uprisings in main cities. Pesqueira managed to gather troops in Hermosillo but without financing, he had to go further into the state He then relocated to
Ures Ures is a small city and a municipality in the Mexican state of Sonora. Area It has an area of 2,618.56 square kilometers. This is 1.41% of the total area of the state, and 0.13 percent of the national area of Mexico. Besides the seat, the most i ...
, being attacked and defeated by pro-Imperialist forces and having to move to
Tubac, Arizona Tubac is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,191 at the 2010 census. The place name "Tubac" is an English borrowing from a Hispanicized form of the O'odham name ''Cuwak'', which ...
.


The Return to Sonora and the Fight Against the Empire

At the beginning of 1866, General Don Ángel Martínez took the city of Álamos. This army, together with the news of some victories by García Morales, favored Pesqueira's return from exile. By the middle of 1866, Martínez, Pesqueira and García Morales, had had some victories in the state. Once restored, he returns to the fight and on September 4, 1866, defeated Edvard Emile Langberg at the Battle of Guadalupe and put an end to foreign intervention in Sonora.


1867 Governorship

President Benito Juárez issued on August 24, 1867, for the call for elections of public officials in the country and by virtue of it. On September 27, Governor Pesqueira called for elections of State Powers, which took place in October. The third constitutional Congress of the state was installed on November 28 and declared Pesqueira governor of Sonora and substitute for General Jesús García Morales. By virtue of this declaration, the first granted the protest on December 1 and continued in the exercise of power, already covered by the constitutional character.


Revolution de los Ríos

Pesqueira resigned as governor to deal with another uprising of the Yaqui and Mayo peoples who, at the end of 1867, dissatisfied with the federal victory against the French, took up arms thinking that the Mexican Empire would return. The uprising of the Yaqui and Mayo tribes took their rebellion very seriously as the rebels in Bácum killed the Military Commander that the government had appointed to ensure civility. The Yaquis penetrated the Mayo River. In December, they attacked and knifed a garrison that was in Santa Cruz, murdering the indigenous chief Matías and fourteen others of his tribe. After some victories, in May 1868 the Revolution de los Ríos was believed to have ended, and the Military Commander, General Jesús García Morales, ordered the forces that were campaigning to withdraw in June. However, as soon as they had withdrawn, the Mayos, on July 5, attacked the town of
Etchojoa Etchojoa is the seat of Etchojoa Municipality. Founded in 1613, Etchojoa is located in the southwest of the Mexican state of Sonora. It is situated at . The total municipal area is 1,220.23 km². Etchojoa had a population of 56,129 in 2000 ...
, killing 18 people as well as the Apaches continued fighting in Northern Sonora.


The Retreat

By 1868, Pesqueira, already tired and wanting to attend to his personal business, retired from politics and left Manuel Monteverde Díaz in command, although on December 20 of that same year he had to take over the governorship again after several floods and disasters occurred in Álamos.


State elections of 1869

In 1869, the renewal of the Powers of the State was made through popular elections. The opposition circles moved with some effort, but Pesqueira was always re-elected governor and this was declared by the new Legislature on October 14 despite Pesqueira requesting to leave months before. Pesqueira then appointed deputy Don Julián Escalante as his substitute, retiring to his hacienda, Las Delicias.


Juárez's Government (1871-1872)


State elections of 1871

In June 1871 elections were held for the renewal of local Powers. This time he fought the candidacy of Governor Pesqueira with that of his old friend and companion, General Jesús García Morales, with whom he was no longer in the best harmony. The latter obtained all the votes in the district of Álamos, half of those in Moctezuma, and very few in the other districts. On September 15, the new Congress was installed and on the 22nd it declared Pesqueira re-elected by 165 votes against 51 who voted for General Morales. Deputy Don Joaquín M. Astiazarán was appointed as substitute governor.


Plan de la Noria

At the same time as these elections, those of Federal Powers were held. The fight between the candidacies of Benito Juárez and General Porfirio Díaz was very fierce throughout the country and even after it was over, it left a deep impression on the Republic and produced such discontent that it did not take long for the revolution to break out. On October 1, Generals
Negrete Negrete () is a Chilean town and commune in Bío Bío Province, Bío Bío Region. It is bordered by the commune of Los Ángeles to the north, Renaico to the south, Mulchén to the east and Nacimiento to the west. The town oNegreteis located ...
, Toledo, Chavarría and other army chiefs managed to seize the capital. Although the revolutionary movement was immediately suffocated, it was not long before General
Jerónimo Treviño José Jerónimo de los Dolores Treviño y Leal, commonly known as Jerónimo Treviño was a prominent Mexican General and politician. He was a veteran of the Reform War and the Second French intervention in Mexico which he gained fame for his pa ...
rose up against the government in Nuevo León, Borrego in Durango, Palacios in Sinaloa and General Díaz himself in
Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...
, proclaiming the
Plan de la Noria The Plan de la Noria was a revolutionary call to arms intended to oust Mexican President Benito Juárez, who had been elected to a fourth term. Liberal General Porfirio Díaz issued it on 8 November 1871, immediately following his defeat by Juár ...
in November. In a short time, the entire country was involved in a civil war that seriously threatened the established order. The state congress gave General Pesqueira permission to personally lead his efforts to fight the revolutionaries in Sinaloa. Pesqueira then defeated General Francisco Cañedo and General Eulogio Parra, capturing
Culiacán Culiacán, officially Culiacán Rosales, is a city in northwestern Mexico, the capital and largest city of both the Culiacán Municipality and the state of Sinaloa. The city was founded on 29 September 1531, by the Spanish conquerors Lázar ...
.


Battle of Culiacán

Due to revolts calling for General Porfirio Díaz's presidency having broken out in Mazatlán, the Sonora Legislature granted Pesqueira the power to help restore peace in Sinaloa on December 7. On the 14th, at the head of some forces, he marched from Ures to Álamos, to whose city he arrived on January 8, 1872, and on the 16th, he marched on Sinaloa. That plaza was occupied by General Manuel Márquez de León and Pesqueira laid siege to him on the 21st. After a close battle in the Plaza de Armas, Pesqueira was defeated just as he was approaching victory. Disgruntled but not dejected, Pesqueira returned to Álamos with some officers four days later, there he began to organize new forces, in addition to the troops recruited in Álamos, the Districts of Moctezuma, Ures, Arizpe and Sahuaripa sent him new contingents, being able to quickly mobilize a thousand men. On May 1, Pesqueira was already in
El Fuerte El Fuerte (Spanish: "The Fort") may refer to: * El Fuerte de Samaipata, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bolivia * El Fuerte, Sinaloa, a city of Sinaloa, Mexico * El Fuerte, a character in the ''Street Fighter'' video game series Fuerte may also ...
, where he left commissioners to organize more forces and continued his march on Sinaloa where he stopped for a few days waiting for more reinforcements. On the 21st of the same month, he undertook his march on
Culiacán Culiacán, officially Culiacán Rosales, is a city in northwestern Mexico, the capital and largest city of both the Culiacán Municipality and the state of Sinaloa. The city was founded on 29 September 1531, by the Spanish conquerors Lázar ...
with a thousand men and six artillery pieces, at a time when Márquez was heading from Elota to the same plaza with more than 2,000 men. On the night of the 26th, Pesqueira arrived in Culiacán and took possession of part of the city. At dawn the following day, the revolutionary chief occupied another part of the town, establishing his line of defense. Hostilities then broke out on both sides and for forty-one days, the cannon and rifle fires were kept alive without interruption. This went on until General Sóstenes Rocha finally arrived in Mazatlán with 2,000 reinforcements and put an end to the grueling battle for the civilians of Culiacan. On the afternoon of May 6, after a bombardment over the part of the city occupied by Pesqueira, Márquez withdrew with his forces through Tamazula to the state of Durango . The Sonora forces began their return march, Pesqueira went to Mazatlan and gave Rocha an account of his operations; on the 28th of the same month he landed in Guaymas and on June 6 he arrived in Ures.


Reforms of 1872


Conflict between the Judicial and Legislative Branches

On May 25, 1869, the debate began on certain reforms to the constitution of the State of Sonora. The main ones of those reforms, initiated on May 25, 1869, were the following: *I. That the criminal trials, instead of three, only have two instances. *II. Elimination of the precept that established the jury system for criminal trials. *III. Restriction to the faculties of the Executive Power to impose correctional sentences. *IV. Take away from the Yaqui and Mayo tribes the rights of Sonoran citizens while they preserve the anomalous organization they have in their ranches or towns, but leaving the enjoyment of them to the individuals of the same tribes who reside in the organized towns of the state. *V. Direct election of all public officials. *SAW. Non-reelection of Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Prefects of the Districts. *VII Popular election of lieutenant governor, magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice and Judges of First Instance, which was made by appointment of Congress *VII. Popular election of Prefects of the Districts, which was made by appointment of the Executive. *IX. Empower the President of Congress to sanction and publish the laws when the term in which the Executive should do so has passed, but does not do so. On November 1, 1872, the State Congress approved said constitutional reforms, which produced a clash between the Executive and Legislative powers for their sanction, since Governor Pesqueira did not respect that decision and the conflict between powers took place. The reformist deputies met in December to protest the new Constitution, but a Pesqueirista deputy left the room, leaving them without a sufficient quorum. The remaining six deputies did not form Congress and therefore couldn't protest the reforms, so they dissolved before giving a manifesto to the public in local newspapers.


Conant's Uprising in 1873

On April 22, 1873, a new Constitution was issued that came into force on September 16, in which the reforms initiated in 1869 were excluded, with the exception of "VI" that prohibited the re-election of the state governor. The conflict did not end here as public opinion, which was no longer very favorable to the Pesqueira government, was more strongly against it because of the question of state reforms, and it was that the people were already tired of a public administration whose head had not changed since 1856. Another factor was when the elections for the renewal of those in charge of public power took place in 1873, the Government did not have any opposition and Pesqueira was re-elected once again, without any contradiction. This fact caused the citizen to lose faith in the institution as they had no hope of obtaining a path through suffrage and preferred to patiently resign themselves to undertaking a sterile struggle. On the night of September 19 of the same year of 1873, Don Carlos Conant pronounced himself in the Mineral de Promontorios, Municipality of Álamos. He took the Plaza de Álamos in the early morning of the 20th, proclaiming the constitutional reforms of 1872 and not recognizing Pesqueira administration. State forces quickly pursued Conant, having a minor encounter in Conicarit on October 30 and, finally, Conant withdrew to Chihuahua through Chinipas, handing over his weapons to the authorities of that Villa.


The Idle Governor

Since the rise of Conant in 1873, Pesqueira requested several and successive licenses to return to his permissions as it seems that he didn't want to govern and constantly left the position to substitute or provisional governors, especially to Joaquín M. Astiazarán. One day, the state government asked him: "How many licenses and extensions did you request?"


Yaqui conspiracies and the 1875 elections

Since April 1875, symptoms of a forthcoming tribal insurrection began to make themselves felt in the Yaqui, stimulated by the new leader who appeared there,
José María Leyva José María Leyva (2 April 1877 – 1956) was a militant guerrilla in the (PLM, Mexican Liberal Party), who was a general in the in Baja California. Biography Leyva was born in Tetaroba El Fuerte, Sinaloa, on 2 April 1877. He joined the Me ...
, who with patriotic ardor, preached to the Yaquis the need to recover the independence of those communities, awakening the pride of those tribes. The possible uprising of ethnic groups in the region and the elections, in addition to the prohibition of a re-election by Ignacio Pesqueira, favored the candidacy of José J. Pesqueira, who was elected as governor and as senators Don Joaquín M. Astiazarán and Don Ignacio Pesqueira, being all fishermen, caused an impact on the population. Notwithstanding everything else, General Ignacio Pesqueira himself was appointed by Congress as substitute governor, this result left a very deep impression in Sonora, although in some spirits it caused discouragement, in others it caused true exaltation. Although Congress called for elections extraordinary elections to the districts whose suffrage had been nullified, the opposition party, understanding the practical futility of its efforts, remained in complete abstention and the government elected, without obstacles, the deputies that it judged most convenient for its aims. Meanwhile, the electoral preparations were made and the elections were verified. Governor Pesqueira had been elected by decree of June 24, with extraordinary powers in finance and war, taking the alarms of the Yaqui and Mayo rivers as a reason, these powers were extended in decree of July 25 and June 30 of the same month.


Sernist Revolution of 1875-1877

Due to all these circumstances, rumors began to circulate of an upcoming revolution headed by the District Judge, Domingo Elías González, the head of the Treasury, Alfonso Mejía, and by other characters dissatisfied by the Government of Pesqueira. Pesqueira was preparing to fight and in addition to the extraordinary contribution that it decreed, it issued a regulation dated July 27 for the organization of forces in the state. It was thus that on August 11, 1875, twenty days before José J. Pesqueira took office, Francisco Serna and Francisco Lizárraga simultaneously spoke in the Villa del Altar and in San Ignacio. Don Manuel Barreda and Don Antonio Aguirre, and the next day Don Antonio Searcy did the same in Santa Ana, who immediately marched with the people he could gather to join Serna. The Government was prepared and without wasting time, appointed Don Francisco Altamirano y Altamirano, chief some towns along the Cucurpe River, who was given the appointment of Military Commander of the Districts of Altar and Magdalena. He then began operations near the Altar and on August 23, Altamirano defeated them and immediately occupied the Villa. Francisco Serna and Lizárraga, seeing the small forces that they had organized destroyed and losing their weapons and equipment and understanding the impossibility of recovering them on the border, fled to
Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...
,
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, where they had allies to help them repair the losses suffered, making use of their own interests and their credit. On November 8, a force of cavalry led by Francisco Serna crossed the border, entered Sonora, defeated the chief Don Francisco Redondo on November 11 in Calera and occupied the town of Altar but they were defeated again by Francisco Altamirano y Altamirano. At Arizpe, Don Juan Clímaco Escalante, gathered men and defeated the fishing chief Don Cayetano Silva in Santa Cruz in a short time.


Yaqui uprising

While the situation in the north of the state was in full swing, in the south the Yaquis under the command of Cajeme, attacked the town of Cócorit while the Mayos attacked the town of Santa Cruz de Huatabampo in the south . These new uprisings forced Governor José J. Pesqueira to send forces to the south of the state and thus fight on two fronts, to the south he sent Commander Leonardo Aguirre, and to the north and Ignacio Pesqueira as chief of all forces to contain the Sernist revolution.


Battle of Pitahaya

Under the command of José J. Pesqueira on December 1, 1875, in the vicinity of Pitahaya, the battle between elements of the Mexican Army, composed of five hundred soldiers, and elements of the Yaqui army with 1,500 troops took place. The confrontation was reported by Pesqueira as a Mexican victory, ensuring the death of approximately 60 Yaquis.


The revolution in the center and north of the state

In the north, more and more people rose up in arms against the Sonoran government, so Don Francisco E. González took the city of Ures with men recruited in Rayón and Opodepe. This didn't last long however as by 1876, they were defeated by fishing forces. In December 1875, Ignacio Pesqueira marched towards Santa Cruz with about 300 men that he gathered in Arizpe to fight Francisco Serna and Juan Clímaco Escalante, who in view of that, both divided and withdrew. Francisco Serna headed for the town of Altar and Juan Clímaco Escalante headed for
Bacoachi Bacoachi is a small town in Bacoachi Municipality in the north of the Mexican state of Sonora. The area of the municipality is 487 square miles (1,260.65 km²) and the population (rural and urban) was 1,456 in 2005, with 924 inhabitants resi ...
. Francisco Serna, knowing Pesqueira's intentions, took refuge in Arizona, however Escalante took the route south, participating in some minor battles and joining forces with local chiefs in Alamos . Francisco Serna, still in Arizona, communicated with his allies in
Hermosillo Hermosillo (), formerly called Pitic (as in ''Santísima Trinidad del Pitic'' and ''Presidio del Pitic''), is a city located in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the municipal seat of the Hermosillo municipality, the ...
. Due to this contact, Don Antonio Palacio was given command of 200 men who took up arms in Hermosillo on December 1, 1876, and attacked General José V. Escalante who was in charge of only sixty which made the capture of the city quick. Francisco Serna, in order to support his allies in Hermosillo and spark off the revolution in the primary city, mobilized a force 150 cavalry and infantrymen under the command of Commander Jesús Campa, who arrived shortly after Palacio occupied the square of Hermosillo. While he organized the people who came to him en-masse, Campa went to the town of Séris and from there he went to the Represo, where he established his camp. Governor José J. Pesqueira asked the federal government for support to deal with said situation, so Jesús García Morales was assigned to defend the Guaymas plaza.


Death and legacy

Pesqueira exercised absolute power for a period of 20 years in Sonora, for which his detractors considered him a dictator, however the great services he rendered to the liberal cause as a general more than legitimized his right to go down in history. He died on January 4, 1886, at his hacienda in Bacanuchi, in his birthplace Deél Arizpe Deél, Sonora, in a very peaceful manner contrary to his life. He left few possessions to his children and his wife. The General Ignacio L. Pesqueira International Airport was named after him.


References


Further reading

* * http://www.jstor.org/stable/40167587 {{DEFAULTSORT:Pesqueira, Ignacio 1820 births 1886 deaths Independent Mexico Liberalism in Mexico Mexican generals Military personnel from Sonora People from Arizpe People of Mexican side in the Texas Revolution Military personnel of the First Carlist War Second French intervention in Mexico 19th-century Mexican military personnel 19th-century Mexican politicians Governors of Sonora