María Josefa Zozaya de Garza (c. 1822 – September 23, 1846) was a
Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
woman who aided wounded and ill troops of both the American and Mexican armies during the
Mexican–American War. She was shot and killed by a stray bullet at the
Battle of Monterrey while tending to a wounded soldier. After her death, she became known as the "Heroine Martyr of Monterrey".
Biography
María Josefa Zozaya was born in about 1822 in the municipality of
San Carlos to Cristóbal de Zozaya and Gertrudis Vladez. Sometime before 1846, she moved with her family to
Monterrey
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
. She was present in the city upon the arrival of American soldiers under General
Zachary Taylor. During the
Battle of Monterrey, she brought food and water to the exhausted troops on both sides of the fighting at great personal risk. While tending to a wounded American soldier, she was struck by a bullet, killing her. She was buried by the American soldiers she had helped.
There is some discrepancy regarding the date of her death. Some sources cite her death being in 1860 in
Matamoros, Tamaulipas. She is alleged to have married a Mexican man called Manuel de la Garza y Flores, who died two years after their marriage in 1847.
There is a library named for her, ''La Biblioteca Pública Municipal María Josefa Zozaya de Garza'', located in
Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo León. There is also a primary school which bears her name, ''El Colegio Josefa Zozaya'', in
San Nicolás de los Garza
San Nicolás de los Garza, sometimes known only as San Nicolás, is a city and coextensive municipality in the Mexican state of Nuevo León that is part of the Monterrey metropolitan area. It has become primarily a city for residences and family h ...
.
"Josefa Zozaya"
''Pueblosamerica.com'', 2011-08-09.
See also
* Women in the Mexican–American War
Women played an important part in the Mexican-American War.
Contributions from Mexican women
On the battlefield
Since Mexico fought the war on its home territory, a traditional support system for troops were women, known as ''soldaderas''. ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zozaya, Maria Josefa
1820s births
1846 deaths
People from Tamaulipas