The modern Mexican Legion of Honor (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: ''Legión de Honor Mexicana'') is an

order of merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

awarded to soldiers, veterans, and others who have made outstanding contributions to the national defense, security, or sovereignty 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 ...

. An earlier, post-revolutionary version was organized as a

military reserve A military reserve, active reserve, reserve formation, or simply reserve, is a group of military personnel or units that is initially not committed to a battle by its commander, so that it remains available to address unforeseen situations or ex ...

force.

Precursor

A forerunner to the modern Legion was founded in 1917 under President

Venustiano Carranza José Venustiano Carranza de la Garza (; 29 December 1859 – 21 May 1920) was a Mexican wealthy land owner and politician who was Governor of Coahuila when the constitutionally elected president Francisco I. Madero was overthrown in a February ...

to provide an "honorable location for excess officers of the Constitutional Army." It was available for use as a reserve force in case of national emergency, and also provided training for new recruits.

History

The modern Mexican Legion of Honor was created in a 1949 decree by President

Miguel Alemán Valdés Miguel Alemán Valdés (; 29 September 1900 – 14 May 1983) was a Mexican politician who served a full term as the President of Mexico from 1946 to 1952, the first civilian president after a string of revolutionary generals. His administr ...

to "honor soldiers during their lifetime" who had contributed to the national defense, or who had contributed in some form to the social achievements enshrined in the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

. Eligibility changes included admission for those who had served the country, or completed at least thirty years of active military service. A 1994 amendment to the original act established some organizational changes, including an official name change to ''Legión de Honor Militar Mexicana'', and added eligibility to those who had "participated in the most preeminent events" of

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 ...

, carried out "heroic actions", or in some way contributed to the military defense of the nation, to guaranteeing national security, or to maintain national sovereignty and independence. It also established a Council to have the final word on eligibility and defined more exactly the criteria for members of the Navy and the Air Force to be honored. A 2003 law refers to it as a decoration or award ('' condecoración''). A 2015 amendment recognized the original, purely military nature of the organization, but taking into account an extended period of peacetime, expanded the eligibility to certain outstanding non-military recipients as well.

Women and the Legion

Although some women had fought valiantly in the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...

, even in dangerous combat conditions, and had achieved military rank up to captain and colonel based on the merits, their grade and achievements were officially annulled almost immediately after the revolution. In 1916, circular #78 by the

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

declared that "all military appointments of women and girls are null and void, whatever their contributions may have been." This not only blocked their path to reenlist in the army, and the right to belong to the Legion of Honor in their capacity as veterans, but also blocked their military retirement pensions. When peace came, they not only bypassed women for honors and pensions, but ignored their contributions entirely, as their mere presence would do violence to a patriarchal institution. The 1949 reorganization opened the membership first to civilians, and then to women. Although some women were recognized as members, without recognizing either their military rank or their pensions.

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