José Benito Patricio Gabriel López Uraga (1808-1885) was a 19th-century Mexican general. He participated and fought in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

, the

Reform War The Reform War (17 December 185711 January 1861) or War of Reform (), also known as the Three Years' War (), and the Mexican Civil War, was a complex civil conflict in Mexico fought between Mexican liberals and conservatives with regional var ...

and the

Second French intervention in Mexico The second French intervention in Mexico (), also known as the Second Franco-Mexican War (1861–1867), was a military invasion of the Republic of Mexico by the French Empire of Napoleon III, purportedly to force the collection of Mexican de ...

. He also served as the Mexican ambassador to Germany from April 13, 1853, to November 12, 1855.

Biography

He was born in Valladolid (modern-day

Morelia, Michoacán Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid; Otomi: ) is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. It is both the most populous and most densely populated ...

) on March 17, 1808, as the son of José Benito López Fernández and María de la Luz Uraga y Gutiérrez. He participated in the

and initially participated in the

Battle of Palo Alto The Battle of Palo Alto () was the first major battle of the Mexican–American War and was fought on May 8, 1846, on disputed ground five miles (8 km) from the modern-day city of Brownsville, Texas. A force of some 3,700 Mexico, Mexican t ...

. He was then given command of the , the only external fort that was not taken by the Americans during the

Battle of Monterrey In the Battle of Monterrey (September 21–24, 1846) during the Mexican–American War, General Pedro de Ampudia and the Mexican Army of the North was defeated by the Army of Occupation, a force of United States Regulars, Volunteers, an ...

and when General Pedro Ampudia ordered López to hand over the fortress and he had no choice but to do so, even if he personally disagreed. He then promoted the

Tolimán Plan Toliman or Tolimán may refer to: *The star Alpha Centauri B. *Tolimán (Jalisco), a town in the Mexican state of Jalisco. *Tolimán (Querétaro), a town in the Mexican state of Querétaro. *Tolimán (volcano), a stratovolcano in Guatemala. *TOLIMA ...

but after being captured, he fled to the United States. When the

broke out, López returned to side with the Liberals but lost a leg in combat and was taken prisoner in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

by the Conservatives. López was praised by General

Pedro Ogazón Pedro Ogazón Rubio (Guadalajara, Jalisco; November 17, 1820 – Orizaba, Veracruz; February 27, 1890) was a Mexican military officer and politician. He served as the governor of Jalisco, Minister of War, a local and federal deputy, and a magistra ...

for his services rendered at

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

. He also managed to capture the village of Camargo on November 29, 1851. Once released on April 13, 1853, he was granted the position of Ambassador to

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

, presenting his credentials as ambassador of Mexico to the King of Prussia,

Friedrich Wilhelm IV Frederick William IV (; 15 October 1795 – 2 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, was King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 until his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to as the " romanticist on the ...

on September 3, 1853, and on October 23, 1853, he established relations with the King of Saxony,

Johann Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name '' Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Graciou ...

, ending his diplomatic mission on November 12, 1855. On 1857, Don

Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec peoples, Zapotec, he w ...

granted López the

Islas Marías The Islas Marías ("Mary Islands") make up an archipelago in Mexico, consisting of four islands. They are located in the Pacific Ocean, some off the coast of the state of Nayarit and about southeast of the tip of Baja California. They are part ...

with the condition of not selling or renting them to any foreign power. At the start of the

, he commanded the Army of the East. On February 9, 1862, he was removed from office and replaced by

Ignacio Zaragoza Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín (March 24, 1829 – September 8, 1862) was a Mexican Army officer and politician. He is best known for leading a Mexican army of 3,791 men which defeated a 5,730-strong force of French troops at the battle of Puebla ...

. In 1864, he was the commanding general in Jalisco and general in chief of the Army of the Center but after having personal conflicts with Colonel Antonio Rojas, he returned to

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. On July 26 of that year, he switched sides to side with the

Second Mexican Empire The Second Mexican Empire (; ), officially known as the Mexican Empire (), was a constitutional monarchy established in Mexico by Mexican monarchists with the support of the Second French Empire. This period is often referred to as the Second ...

. When

Carlota of Mexico Charlotte of Mexico (; ; 7 June 1840 – 19 January 1927), known by the Spanish version of her name, Carlota, was by birth a princess of Belgium and member of the House of Wettin in the branch of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (as such she was also ...

left for Europe to seek support for her husband, López Uraga went with her as an escort, a fact that caused him to be considered a traitor to the country and revoked his ownership of the Islas Marías. After the victory of the Republicans and due to the Amnesty Law issued by the government of Don Benito Juárez, the former General López Uraga recovered ownership of the Islas Marías in 1878. The islands were then sold in 1879 to Don Manuel Carpena, a resident of

Tepic Tepic () is the capital and largest city of the western Mexico, Mexican Political divisions of Mexico, state of Nayarit, as well as the seat of the Tepic Municipality. Located in the central part of the state, it stands at an altitude of above ...

Nayarit Nayarit, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in Municipalities of Nayarit, 20 municipalit ...

for 45,000 pesos. Later López lived in exile, dying in San Francisco, California on February 4, 1885.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:López Uraga, José 1808 births 1885 deaths Liberalism in Mexico Mexican generals Mexican monarchists Politicians from Nuevo León Military personnel from Michoacán People of the Second French intervention in Mexico 19th-century Mexican military personnel 19th-century Mexican politicians Exiled Mexican politicians