Juan Aldama (January 3, 1774 in San Miguel el Grande,

Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...

– June 26, 1811 in Chihuahua) was a Mexican revolutionary rebel soldier during the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence (, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional ...

in 1810.

Biography

He was also the brother of Ignacio Aldama. At the beginning of the War of Independence, Aldama was a captain of the cavalry regiment of the Queen's militia. He attended the conspiratorial meetings for independence in

Querétaro Querétaro, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Querétaro, 18 municipalities. Its capital city is Querétaro Cit ...

, organized by Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, despite having to travel from San Miguel el Grande (now San Miguel de Allende) in neighboring

. Aldama was in San Miguel when he heard news that the conspiracy had been betrayed by a supporter who informed the Spanish colonial authorities. He traveled to Dolores (now Dolores Hidalgo) to inform

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mandarte y Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader of the Mexican War ...

and

Ignacio Allende Ignacio José de Allende y Unzaga (, , ; January 21, 1769 – June 26, 1811), commonly known as Ignacio Allende, was a captain of the Spanish Army in New Spain who came to sympathize with the Mexican independence movement. He attended the secre ...

. He witnessed the

Grito de Dolores The Cry of Dolores () occurred in Dolores, Mexico, on 16 September 1810, when Roman Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang his church bell and gave the call to arms that triggered the Mexican War of Independence. The Cry of Dolores is m ...

("Cry of Dolores") on the night of September 15, 1810, which started the armed conflict. Aldama was captured by the Spanish colonial authorities on March 21, 1811 at the

Wells of Baján Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * Wells ...

Coahuila Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...

. He was

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

ed for insubordination towards the Spanish Crown and executed for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

, by firing squad on June 26, 1811, together with Allende and other members of the rebel army including Mariano Jiménez and Manuel Santa María. Aldama's body was decapitated and his head taken to the

Alhóndiga de Granaditas Alhóndiga is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castilla–La Mancha, Spain. As of 1 January 2022 it had a registered population of 158. The municipality spans across a total area of 19.26 km2. The locality was an early in ...

where it was shown to the public inside a cage hung from one corner of the building. In 1824, his remains were moved to an

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

in the Metropolitan Cathedral in

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 ...

. Finally, in 1925, his remains were moved one last time to the mausoleum in the Independence Column in Mexico City.

Legacy

Aldama is a national

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

of Mexico. In his honor, several towns and villages are named after him. The following category includes: * The municipality of Juan Aldama, Zacatecas. * The municipality of Villaldama, Nuevo León. * The municipality of Aldama, Tamaulipas. * The municipality of Aldama, Chihuahua. *The municipality of Villa Aldama, Veracruz * The city of

León, Guanajuato León (), officially León de Los Aldama, is the most populous city and municipal seat of the municipality of León in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. In the 2020 census, INEGI reported 1,579,803 people living in the city of León and 1,721,21 ...

, was officially renamed to "León de los Aldama" in honor of brothers Juan and Ignacio Aldama. * The municipality of Los Aldamas, Nuevo León was also named after him and his brother. * The village of Juan Aldama, "El Tigre", Sinaloa outside of

Culiacán Culiacán, officially Culiacán Rosales, is a city in northwestern Mexico, the capital and largest city of both Culiacán Municipality and the state of Sinaloa. The city was founded on 29 September 1531 by the Spanish conquistadors Lázaro de ...

. * The street Juan Aldama in

Mexicali Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the States of Mexico, Mexican state of Baja California. The city, which is the seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali, Cale ...

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

in the Colonia Independencia (neighborhood).

External links

Biografía de Juan Aldama (Bio)Juan Aldama, Zacatecas Website

Los Aldamas, Nuevo Leon

Villaldama, Nuevo Leon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aldama, Juan 1774 births 1811 deaths People from San Miguel de Allende Mexican independence activists People from New Spain

Biography

Legacy

See also

External links