José Gabriel de Armijo (1774–1830) was a Spanish and Mexican military commander of

caudillo A ''caudillo'' ( , ; osp, cabdillo, from Latin , diminutive of ''caput'' "head") is a type of personalist leader wielding military and political power. There is no precise definition of ''caudillo'', which is often used interchangeably with " ...

origin known for his role in the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de México, links=no, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from Spain. It was not a single, co ...

Biography

José Gabriel was born in San Nicolás de Tierranueva,

San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí), is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and i ...

in 1774. On 16 October 1795, he enters the historical chronicle when he joined the militia of the State of San Luis Potosí as a

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

. He later was a part of the military corps under the command of General Félix María Calleja del Rey, who would later become

Viceroy of New Spain The following is a list of Viceroys of New Spain. In addition to viceroys, the following lists the highest Spanish governors of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, before the appointment of the first viceroy or when the office of viceroy was vacant. M ...

, at the outbreak of the Mexican War of Independence. Under Calleja's command, Armijo participated in the

Battle of Aculco A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, the Battle of Guanajuato and the Battle of the Puente de Calderón. He went on to gain his own command within the Spanish royalist army until the formal independence of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. In 1812, he again served in Calleja's army commanding forces at the

Siege of Cuautla The siege of Cuautla was a battle of the War of Mexican Independence that occurred from 19 February through 2 May 1812 at Cuautla, Morelos. The Spanish royalist forces loyal to the Spanish, commanded by Félix María Calleja, besieged the ...

. On 30 September 1818, the fought against the Mexican rebels under the command of future Mexican president

Vicente Guerrero Vicente Ramón Guerrero (; baptized August 10, 1782 – February 14, 1831) was one of the leading revolutionary generals of the Mexican War of Independence. He fought against Spain for independence in the early 19th century, and later served as ...

at the Battle of the Cerro de Barrabás, a Spanish defeat. In 1821, he signed on to the

Plan of Iguala The Plan of Iguala, also known as The Plan of the Three Guarantees ("Plan Trigarante") or Act of Independence of North America, was a revolutionary proclamation promulgated on 24 February 1821, in the final stage of the Mexican War of Independenc ...

and joined the

Army of the Three Guarantees At the end of the Mexican War of Independence, the Army of the Three Guarantees ( es, Ejército Trigarante or ) was the name given to the army after the unification of the Spanish troops led by Agustín de Iturbide and the Mexican insurgent troo ...

. During the

First Mexican Empire The Mexican Empire ( es, Imperio Mexicano, ) was a constitutional monarchy, the first independent government of Mexico and the only former colony of the Spanish Empire to establish a monarchy after independence. It is one of the few modern-era, ...

, he fought in the Battle of Almolonga on the side of Agustin de Iturbide and the imperialists against the republican rebels. In this battle, he defeated the rebel army under the command of his old adversaries,

and

Nicolás Bravo Nicolás Bravo (10 September 1786 – 22 April 1854) was a Mexican soldier and politician who first distinguished himself during the Mexican War of Independence. He was Mexico's first vice-president though while holding this office Bravo ...

On 11 March 1830, when Juan José Codallos Núñez proclaimed the Plan of the Fortaleza de Santiago, he was ordered to do battle against Col. Juan Nepomuceno Álvarez Hurtado On 30 August of the same year, he was defeated at the Battle of Texca by the federalist forces under Álvarez Hurtado. Whilst fleeing the field of battle, he was caught by Álvarez' pursuing troops in a

gully A gully is a landform created by running water, mass movement, or commonly a combination of both eroding sharply into soil or other relatively erodible material, typically on a hillside or in river floodplains or terraces. Gullies resemble lar ...

and was hacked to death shortly thereafter.

In popular culture

José Gabriel de Armijo has been portrayed in various movies and books as he is a character that is significant in

Mexican history The written history of Mexico spans more than three millennia. First populated more than 13,000 years ago, central and southern Mexico (termed Mesoamerica) saw the rise and fall of complex indigenous civilizations. Mexico would later develop i ...

. In 1943, he was played by

Antonio Bravo Antonio Bravo (12 May 1906 – 28 February 1992) was a Spanish-born Mexican film and television actor.Agrasánchez, Jr. p.159 He appeared in more than a hundred and forty productions during a lengthy career. Selected filmography * ''Beautiful ...

in the film El rayo del sur. In 2010, he was played by Felipe Nájera in the Mexican TV show " Gritos de muerte y libertad". He appears in the episode titled ''La última conjura''.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Armijo, Jose Gabriel de 1774 births 1830 deaths People of the Mexican War of Independence Spanish generals Spanish army officers