José María Lacunza Blengio (18 August 1809 – 2 January 1869) was a Mexican politician and diplomat. In 1836, with his brother Juan Nepomuceno Lacunza, he founded the , where he published his ''Historical Discourses''. As a columnist he wrote for ''El Mosaico Mexicano'', ''El Siglo Diez y Nueve'' and ''El Monitor Republicano''.
He was the President of the Chamber of Deputies in 1848. From 10 May 1849 to 15 January 1851, he held the position of Minister of Relations during the government of José Joaquín de Herrera. During his tenure, he was in charge of handling the debt with the Spanish creditors. Additionally, he worked on the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, rejecting the free passage through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
government claimed, could maintain the negative in favor of national sovereignty. He was president of the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and was in charge of the Directorate General of Funds and Public Instruction, being Minister of Finance during the presidential term of
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 ...
.
During 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 ...
he was Minister of State of Maximilian of Habsburg and promoter of cultural policy. After the empire was defeated, Lacunza was banished to