Luis Pérez Figueroa (1833 - 1903) was a Mexican general who fought in the war of independence that followed the French intervention in Mexico.

Military career

Figueroa was born on 22 March 1833 in

Salvatierra, Guanajuato Salvatierra () is a Mexican city (and municipality) located in the valley of Huatzindeo in the lowlands of the state of Guanajuato. It is rich in civil and religious architecture; haciendas, bridges, convents and large houses surrounded in traditio ...

. He joined the national army at the age of twenty in March 1853 as a second lieutenant in the infantry, and was promoted to first lieutenant in 1855. He played an active role in the war of intervention, fighting successfully against imperial troops in the mountains of Teotitlan and

Tuxtepec San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec ( nah, Tōchtepēc, "on the hill of rabbits"), or simply referred to as Tuxtepec, is the head of the municipality by the same name and is the second most populous city of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Tux ...

. He was a signatory to the Plan which defended the town of

. As a colonel, on the 25th of April 1865 he defeated French forces at San Miguel Soyaltepec (now covered by the Miguel Aleman Dam), which was renamed Patriótica Villa de San Miguel Soyaltepec in 1868 in honor of this battle. In 1866 he became a brigadier general, and on 18 October 1866 his brigade fought on the right flank under General

Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori ( or ; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915), known as Porfirio Díaz, was a Mexican general and politician who served seven terms as President of Mexico, a total of 31 years, from 28 November 1876 to 6 Decem ...

in the decisive

Battle of La Carbonera The Battle of La Carbonera was fought on 18 October 1866 during the Second French intervention in Mexico. Background Having triumphed over the Imperial forces in the Battle of Miahuatlán, the Republican General Porfirio Díaz besieged the city ...

. Later he was given command of a division. After the war, the President Benito Juárez became suspicious of Porfirio Díaz's ambitions. Figueroa supported Juárez and urged him to appoint loyal governors in Oaxaca,

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

and

Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...

, Díaz's power base. Juárez next ordered the disarming of the Oaxacan National Guards. The Zapotecs of the Ixtlan National Guard believed that they had earned the right to bear arms, and felt betrayed by Juárez. At Figueroa's urging, Juárez quietly let the matter rest.

Honors

Figueroa married a

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 ...

n woman and had eight children. He received various awards for his patriotism and courage, including a medal for the assault and capture of Puebla in 1867. He remained in the army for forty years. He died on May 23, 1903, in

Tlalpan Tlalpan ( nci, Tlālpan, , place on the earth, ) is a borough (''demarcación territorial'') in Mexico City. It is the largest borough, with over eighty percent under conservation as forest and other ecologically sensitive area. The rest, almost ...

in the Federal District of Mexico. His funeral was held with full honors, and was attended by the president of the republic,

Porfirio Diaz Porfirio is a given name in Spanish, derived from the Greek Porphyry (''porphyrios'' "purple-clad"). It can refer to: * Porfirio Salinas – Mexican-American artist * Porfirio Armando Betancourt – Honduran football player * Porfirio Barba-Jac ...

. In his memory, the Oaxaca state government gave his name in October 1904 to the

Acatlán de Pérez Figueroa Acatlán de Pérez Figueroa is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. It is part of the Tuxtepec District of the Papaloapan Region. The name "Acatlán" means "among the reeds". Luis Pérez Figueroa was a general. Geography T ...

municipality of the

Tuxtepec District, Oaxaca Tuxtepec District is located in the north of the Papaloapan Region of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico. Municipalities The district includes the following municipalities: *Acatlán de Pérez Figueroa * Ayotzintepec * Cosolapa * Loma Bonita * San Fel ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Figueroa, Luis Perez 1833 births 1903 deaths 19th-century Mexican people Mexican generals People from Salvatierra, Guanajuato Military personnel from Guanajuato