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Mariano Matamoros y Guridi (August 14, 1770 – February 3, 1814) was a Mexican Roman Catholic priest and revolutionary rebel soldier of the
Matamoros was born in Mexico City in 1770. He received a Bachelor of Arts in 1786 and a degree in theology in 1789. He was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1796 and served in several churches around the city. During this time, he started to sympathize with rebellious issues and for this reason, he was jailed by the Spanish colonial authorities shortly after the war started. He managed to escape from prison and eventually joined the revolutionary army of
Mexico Desconocido.com.mx : Mariano Matamoros Biography
(In Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Matamoros, Mariano Mexican revolutionaries People of the Mexican War of Independence 1770 births 1814 deaths Executed Roman Catholic priests Executed Mexican people People executed by New Spain People executed by Spain by firing squad People from Mexico City People from Morelos Mexican people of Spanish descent 1814 in New Spain History of Michoacán
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 ...
, who fought for independence against Spain in the early 19th century.
Biography
Matamoros was born in Mexico City in 1770. He received a Bachelor of Arts in 1786 and a degree in theology in 1789. He was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1796 and served in several churches around the city. During this time, he started to sympathize with rebellious issues and for this reason, he was jailed by the Spanish colonial authorities shortly after the war started. He managed to escape from prison and eventually joined the revolutionary army of José María Morelos
José María Teclo Morelos Pérez y Pavón () (30 September 1765 – 22 December 1815) was a Mexican Catholic priest, statesman and military leader who led the Mexican War of Independence movement, assuming its leadership after the execution of ...
on December 16, 1811.
One day before the Izucar battle, Morelos named him colonel and ordered him to create his own forces. With the population of Jantetelco
Jantetelco, officially Jantetelco de Matamoros, is a city in the Mexican state of Morelos.
. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. The municipality reported 17,238 inhabitants in the year 2015 ce ...
, Matamoros created 2 regiments of cavalry, 2 battalions of infantry and 1 of artillery; in total his forces were composed by 2000 men.
During 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 th ...
, from February 9 to May 2 of 1812, Morelos recognized Matamoros' ability in the battlefield and promoted him to the rank of lieutenant general, effectively making him second in command of the army. One night, Matamoros broke the siege and was able join Miguel Bravo in Aculco
Aculco is a municipality located in the Atlacomulco Region of the State of Mexico in Mexico. The name comes from Nahuatl. The municipal seat is the town of Aculco de Espinoza, although both the town and municipality are commonly referred to as ...
. Once the siege was lifted, the campaign continued in 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 ...
; it was surrounded on November 25 of 1812. Thereafter, Matamoros won more battles, first in Santo Domingo Tonalá
Santo Domingo Tonalá is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².
It is part of the Huajuapan District
Huajuapan District is located in the north of the Mixteca Region of the State of O ...
against Manuel Lambrini followed by San Juan Coscomatepec and San Agustín del Palmar against the Asturias battalion.
;Michoacán
Matamoros was in the Battle of Valladolid close to the city of Valladolid in Michoacán, the present day city of Morelia
Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid) is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital and lar ...
, where the Spanish army won. After the battle, on 5 January 1814, the army moved to Puruaran. Agustin de Iturbide attacked the Morelos army and it was a disaster; in the middle of the confusion, Matamoros tried to escape crossing the river (close to Puruaran) but was captured by Eusebio Rodríguez, a soldier from the battalion of "Frontera", who received 200 pesos and a promotion.
Allegedly, Morelos offered 200 Spanish prisoners in exchange for Matamoros, but was turned down by the Spanish colonial authorities.
Matamoros was removed from the priesthood and tried for treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
. He was executed by firing squad in Valladolid, Michoacán on February 3, 1814.
Legacy
In 1823, Matamoros was honored as "Benemérito de la Patria". His remains now rest in the Independence Column of Mexico City. Matamoros is a national hero of Mexico. In his honour, the Cuernavaca International Airport inCuernavaca, Morelos
Cuernavaca (; nci-IPA, Cuauhnāhuac, kʷawˈnaːwak "near the woods", ) is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. The city is located around a 90-minute drive south of Mexico City using the Federal Highway 95D.
The na ...
, is named after him, as well as the cities of Izúcar de Matamoros, Puebla; Matamoros, Coahuila de Zaragoza; and Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, and the municipal seat of the homonymous municipality. It is on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from ...
.
See also
*History of Mexico
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 ...
*Viceroyalty of New Spain
New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Amer ...
References
External links
Mexico Desconocido.com.mx : Mariano Matamoros Biography
(In Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Matamoros, Mariano Mexican revolutionaries People of the Mexican War of Independence 1770 births 1814 deaths Executed Roman Catholic priests Executed Mexican people People executed by New Spain People executed by Spain by firing squad People from Mexico City People from Morelos Mexican people of Spanish descent 1814 in New Spain History of Michoacán