The Belisario Domínguez Medal 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, Can ...

: ''Medalla de Honor "Belisario Domínguez" del Senado de la República'') is the highest award bestowed by the

Mexican Senate The Senate of the Republic, ( es, Senado de la República) constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union ( es, Cámara de Senadores del H. Congreso de la Unión), is the upper house of Mexico's bicameral Congre ...

. It forms part of the Mexican Honors System and is currently Mexico's highest active award since there are no records of the ''Condecoración "Miguel Hidalgo"'' being presented since 1979. The award has been given every year since 1954 by the

Senate of Mexico The Senate of the Republic, ( es, Senado de la República) constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union ( es, Cámara de Senadores del H. Congreso de la Unión), is the upper house of Mexico's bicameral Congre ...

to eminent Mexicans with a distinguished lifetime career who contributed most "toward the welfare of the Nation and mankind". Only Mexican entities representing "the cultural spirit of the time" are allowed to submit nominations for this award. This provision typically allows

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s and government entities to nominate candidates.

Background

The award is named after politician

Belisario Domínguez Belisario Domínguez Palencia (April 25, 1863 in Comitán, Chiapas – October 7, 1913 in Mexico City) was a Mexican physician and liberal politician. He served as senator and gave a memorable speech in the Congress during the Mexican Revo ...

(1863–1913). Domínguez was a Senator for the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

of Chiapas at the time of the Mexican Revolution. After

Victoriano Huerta José Victoriano Huerta Márquez (; 22 December 1854 – 13 January 1916) was a general in the Mexican Federal Army and 39th President of Mexico, who came to power by coup against the democratically elected government of Francisco I. Madero wit ...

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

, which ousted

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Francisco I. Madero Francisco Ignacio Madero González (; 30 October 1873 – 22 February 1913) was a Mexican businessman, revolutionary, writer and statesman, who became the 37th president of Mexico from 1911 until he was deposed in a coup d'etat in February 1 ...

, Domínguez circulated a speech as a letter to fellow members of congress in which he denounced Huerta's actions and encouraged

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

to depose him. At the end of his letter he also encouraged readers to make copies of it and distribute them around the country. The speech was not taken well in Huerta's circles and Domínguez was assassinated a few days later, on October 7, 1913. In 1953, President

Adolfo Ruiz Cortines Adolfo Tomás Ruiz Cortines (; 30 December 1889 – 3 December 1973) was a Mexican politician who served as President of Mexico from 1952 to 1958, after winning the disputed 1952 elections as the candidate of the ruling Institutional Revolut ...

signed the decree establishing the award in remembrance of this "

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

". That same year the Senate decided to bestow the first medal on the

bust Bust commonly refers to: * A woman's breasts * Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders * An arrest Bust may also refer to: Places * Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France *Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically Media * ''Bust'' (magazin ...

of Belisario Domínguez that already existed in the Senate Chamber as a symbolic act. It is for this reason that the medal was awarded twice in 1954.

Description

The medal consists of a single class and is awarded to a single recipient during a solemn ceremony in the Senate Chamber on October 7. A

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

medal hanging from a

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...

ribbon with the colors of the

Mexican flag The national flag of Mexico ( es, Bandera de México) is a vertical tricolor of green, white, and red with the national coat of arms charged in the center of the white stripe. While the meaning of the colors has changed over time, these thre ...

is given together with a diploma signed by the President of the Republic and the leader of the Senate. The medal has the

national coat of arms A national coat of arms is a symbol which denotes an independent state in the form of a heraldic achievement. While a national flag is usually used by the population at large and is flown outside and on ships, a national coat of arms is normally ...

on one side together with the inscription "''Estados Unidos Mexicanos, H. Cámara de Senadores 1952-1958''" ("United Mexican States, Honourable Chamber of Senators 1952-1958"). The reverse side of the medal has an image of Domínguez' bust together with the inscription "''Ennobleció a la Patria, 7 de octubre de 1913''" ("Ennobled the Nation, October 7, 1913").

Recipients

The following is a complete list of people who have been recipients of the Belisario Domínguez Medal. Only in 1954 and 2012 the medal has been awarded twice. *1954 –

Rosaura Zapata Rosaura Zapata (1876? – July 23, 1963) was a Mexican educator who helped to found the national system of education. She received Mexico's highest national honor when the Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor was inaugurated in 1954 Eve ...

and

Erasmo Castellanos Quinto Erasmo is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Claudio Erasmo Vargas (born 1974), Mexican race walker * Erasmo Carlos (born 1941), Brazilian singer and songwriter * Erasmo Catarino (born 1977), Mexican singer, winner on the TV show ...

*1955 – Esteban Baca Calderón *1956 – Gerardo Murillo, " Dr. Atl" *1957 –

Roque Estrada Reynoso Roque Estrada Reynoso. Lawyer, journalist, writer. Born in Moyahua, Zacatecas on August 16, 1883. His parents were José Camilo Estrada Haro and Micaela Reynoso Espitia. His younger brother was Enrique Estrada. He organized workers in a socialist p ...

*1958 – Antonio Díaz Soto y Gama *1959 –

Heriberto Jara Corona General Heriberto Jara Corona (July 10, 1879 – April 17, 1968) was a Mexican revolutionary and politician who served as Governor of Veracruz. Heriberto Jara was born in the town of Nogales, in the state of Veracruz, to Emilio Jara Andrade ...

*1960 –

Isidro Fabela José Isidro Fabela Alfaro (28 June 1882 – 12 August 1964) was a Mexican judge, politician, professor, writer, publisher, governor of the State of Mexico, diplomat, and delegate to the now defunct League of Nations. Fabela was born in Atl ...

*1961 – José Inocente Lugo *1962 –

María Tereza Montoya Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, d ...

*1963 – María Hernández Zarco *1964 – Adrián Aguirre Benavides *1965 – Plácido Cruz Ríos *1966 – Ramón F. Iturbe *1967 – Francisco L. Urquizo *1968 – Miguel Angel Cevallos *1969 – María Cámara Vales, widow of Pino Suárez,

's vice president. *1970 – Rosendo Salazar *1971 –

Jaime Torres Bodet Jaime Mario Torres Bodet (17 April 1902 – 13 May 1974) was a prominent Mexican politician and writer who served in the executive cabinet of three Presidents of Mexico. Life Torres Bodet was born in Mexico City. His mother was Emilia Bodet ...

*1972 – Ignacio Ramos Praslow *1973 – Pablo E. Macías Valenzuela *1974 –

Rafael de la Colina Riquelme Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California * Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology * Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane Fiction * ''R ...

*1975 –

Ignacio Chávez Sánchez Ignacio Chávez Sánchez, M.D., F.A.C.P. (born 31 January 1897 in Zirándaro, Guerrero – d. 13 July 1979 in Mexico City) was a prominent Mexican educator, cardiologist, and founding member of El Colegio Nacional. Education and professi ...

*1976 –

Jesús Romero Flores Jesus ( AD 30 or 33) was a Jewish preacher and religious leader who most Christians believe to be the incarnation of God and Muslims believe was a prophet. Jesus may also refer to: People Religious figures * Elymas Bar-Jesus, a Jew in the ''Act ...

*1977 – Juan de Dios Bátiz Peredes *1978 – Gustavo Baz Prada *1979 –

Fidel Velázquez Sánchez Fidel Velázquez Sánchez (May 12, 1900 – June 21, 1997) was the preeminent Mexican union leader of the 20th century. In 1936 he was one of the original founders, along with Vicente Lombardo Toledano, of the Confederation of Mexican Workers ...

*1980 – Luis Padilla Nervo *1981 – Luis Alvarez Barret *1982 –

Gen Gen may refer to: * ''Gen'' (film), 2006 Turkish horror film directed by Togan Gökbakar * Gen (Street Fighter), a video game character from the ''Street Fighter'' series * Gen Fu, a video game character from the ''Dead or Alive'' series * Gen l ...

. Raúl Madero González *1983 – Jesús Silva Herzog *1984 – Salomón González Blanco *1985 –

María Lavalle Urbina María Lavalle Urbina ( Campeche, Campeche, May 24, 1908 - Mexico City, April 23, 1996) was a Mexican lawyer and politician who served as the first female president of the Mexican Senate. Early life María Lavalle Urbina was born on May 24 ...

*1986 – Salvador Zubirán *1987 – Eduardo García Maynez *1988 –

Rufino Tamayo Rufino del Carmen Arellanes Tamayo (August 25, 1899 – June 24, 1991) was a Mexican painter of Zapotec heritage, born in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico.Sullivan, 170-171Ades, 357 Tamayo was active in the mid-20th century in Mexico and New York, ...

*1989 – Raúl Castellano Jiménez *1990 – Andrés Serra Rojas *1991 –

Gonzalo Aguirre Beltrán Gonzalo Aguirre Beltrán (January 20, 1908 in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz –1996 in Xalapa, Veracruz) was a Mexican anthropologist known for his studies of marginal populations. His work has focused on Afro-Mexican and indigenous populations. He was ...

*1992 – Ramón G. Bonfil *1993 –

Andrés Henestrosa Morales Andres or Andrés may refer to: *Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US *Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) *Hurricane Andres * "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7 See also ...

*1994 – Jaime Sabines Gutiérrez *1995 –

Miguel León-Portilla Miguel León-Portilla (22 February 1926 – 1 October 2019) was a Mexican anthropologist and historian, specializing in Aztec culture and literature of the pre-Columbian and colonial eras. Many of his works were translated to English and he was ...

*1996 – Griselda Alvarez Ponce de León and

Alí Chumacero Alí Chumacero Lora (9 July 1918 – 22 October 2010) was a Mexican poet, translator, literary critic and editor. He was a member of the Mexican Academy of Language. Biography Alí Chumacero Lora was born on July 9, 1918, in Acaponeta, state ...

*1997 – Heberto Castillo Martínez *1998 – José Angel Conchello Dávila (''post mortem'') *1999 –

Carlos Fuentes Carlos Fuentes Macías (; ; November 11, 1928 – May 15, 2012) was a Mexican novelist and essayist. Among his works are ''The Death of Artemio Cruz'' (1962), ''Aura'' (1962), '' Terra Nostra'' (1975), ''The Old Gringo'' (1985) and ''Christopher ...

*2000 – Leopoldo Zea Aguilar *2001 – José Ezequiel Iturriaga Sauco *2002 – Héctor Fix Zamudio *2003 –

Luis González y González Luis González y González (11 October 1925 – 13 December 2003) was a Mexican historian from San José de Gracia, Michoacán, San José de Gracia, Michoacán. He was an expert on the Mexican revolution and Mexican presidentialism. He publi ...

*2004 – Carlos Canseco González *2005 – Gilberto Borja Navarrete *2006 –

Jesús Kumate Rodríguez Jesús Kumate Rodríguez (13 November 1924 – 7 May 2018) was a Mexican physician and politician. He served as the Secretary of Health during the Presidency of Carlos Salinas de Gortari. Early life and education Kumate Rodríguez was born ...

*2007 – Carlos Castillo Peraza (

post mortem An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough Physical examination, examination of a Cadaver, corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner o ...

) *2008 – Miguel Ángel Granados Chapa *2009 – Antonio Ortiz Mena (

) *2010 – Javier Barros Sierra (

) *2010 – Luis H. Álvarez *2011 – Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solorzano *2012 –

Ernesto de la Peña Ernesto de la Peña (; 21 November 1927 – 10 September 2012) was a Mexican writer, translator and cultural advocate. Peña was also a linguist and polyglot who studied thirty-three languages, as varied as Latin language, Latin, Greek language, ...

(

) *2013 –

Manuel Gómez Morín Manuel Gómez Morín (27 February 1897 – 19 April 1972) was a Mexican politician. He was a founding member of the National Action Party, and one of its theoreticians. Prior to this he was considered a leading figure in Mexican monetary policy, ...

(

) *2014 –

Eraclio Zepeda Eraclio Zepeda (March 24, 1937 – September 17, 2015) was a Mexican writer, poet and politician. Education He attended college at the Universidad Militarizada Latinoamericana, where he started a Marxism study group with Jaime Labastida, Jaime ...

*2015 – Alberto Bailleres *2016 – Gonzalo Rivas (post mortem) *2017 – Julia Carabias Lillo *2018 – Carlos Páyan *2019 – Rosario Ibarra de Piedra

References

*Senado de la República (2005)
Senado de la República - Medalla Belisario Domínguez
Retrieved November 20, 2005. *Senado de la República. ''Reglamento de la Medalla de Honor Belisario Domínguez''.

Diario Oficial de la Federación The (DOF; translated variously as the ''Official Journal of the Federation'' or else as ''Official Gazette of the Federation''), published daily by the government of Mexico, is the main official government publication in Mexico. It was founde ...

, December 12, 1953. *Senado de la República
Decreto por el cual se crea la Medalla de Honor “Belisario Domínguez” del Senado de la República
January 3, 1953 *Jeffrey Kent Lucas. ''The Rightward Drift of Mexico's Former Revolutionaries: The Case of Antonio Díaz Soto y Gama''. Lewiston, NY, USA: Edwin Mellen Press, 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Belisario Dominguez Medal of Honor Orders, decorations, and medals of Mexico *