Francisco González Bocanegra (January 8, 1824 – April 11, 1861) was a Mexican poet who wrote the lyrics of the

Mexican National Anthem The "Mexican National Anthem", also known by its incipit "Mexicans, at the Cry of War", is the official national anthem of the United Mexican States. Its lyrics, composed by poet Francisco González Bocanegra after a Federal contest in 1853, ...

in 1853. He was born in San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí to

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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

soldier José María González Yáñez and Francisca Bocanegra y Villalpando, sister of the Foreign Relations Secretary under

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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Vicente Guerrero Vicente Ramón Guerrero Saldaña (; baptized 10 August 1782 – 14 February 1831) was a Mexican military officer from 1810–1821 and a statesman who became the nation's second president in 1829. He was one of the leading generals who fought ag ...

José María Bocanegra José María de los Dolores Francisco Germán del Espíritu Santo Bocanegra y Villalpando (; 25 May 1787 – 23 July 1862) was a Mexican lawyer and statesman who was briefly interim president of Mexico in December 1829 during a coup attempt aga ...

. Despite his father being exempted because of being married to a Mexican, in 1827, his family moved to Spain after a law was enacted expelling all remaining Spanish citizens in the country. They settled in the port of

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

until the family returned to San Luis Potosí on December 28, 1836. He died in 1861 and is interred at the Rotunda of Illustrious Persons.

Writing of the Mexican national anthem

On November 12, 1853,

Antonio López de Santa Anna Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (21 February 1794 – 21 June 1876),Callcott, Wilfred H., "Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez De,''Handbook of Texas Online'' Retrieved 18 April 2017. often known as Santa Anna, wa ...

announced a competition to write a national anthem for Mexico. The competition offered a prize for the best poetic composition representing patriotic ideals. González, a talented poet, was not interested in participating in the competition. He argued that writing love poems involved very different skills from the ones required to write a national anthem. His fiancée, Guadalupe González del Pino (or Pili), had undaunted faith in her fiancé's poetic skills and was displeased with his constant refusal to participate in spite of her constant prodding and requests from their friends. Under false pretenses, she lured him to a secluded bedroom in her parents' house, locked him into the room, and refused to let him out until he produced an entry for the competition. Inside the room in which he was temporarily imprisoned were pictures depicting various events in

Mexican history The history of Mexico spans over three millennia, with the earliest evidence of hunter-gatherer settlement 13,000 years ago. Central and southern Mexico, known as Mesoamerica, saw the rise of complex civilizations that developed glyphic writing ...

which helped to inspire his work. After four hours of fluent (albeit forced) inspiration, Francisco regained his freedom by slipping all ten verses of his creation under the door. After Francisco received approval from his fiancée and her father, he submitted the poem and won the competition by unanimous vote.Galindo y Villa, 1907, p.456-457 González was announced the winner in the publication Official Journal of the Federation (DOF) on February 3, 1854. In 1943, six of González's ten verses were cut from the official full national anthem, leaving his chorus and stanzas 1, 5, 6, and 10.

References

External links

Complete anthem lyrics, as written by González
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez Bocanegra, Francisco 19th-century Mexican poets Mexican male poets Mexican people of Spanish descent People from San Luis Potosí City 1824 births 1861 deaths National anthem writers 19th-century Mexican male writers Burials at the Panteón de Dolores

Writing of the Mexican national anthem

See also

References

External links