Ramón Corona (18 October 1837, Tuxcueca,

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 ...

, Mexico – 11 November 1889,

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 ...

, Jalisco) was a liberal Mexican general and diplomat. He served with distinction during 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 ...

and after the triumph of the republic, the government assigned him to hunt down the local ''caudillo'', Manuel Lozada. He served as the Mexican minister to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

but upon his return to the country, Corona was murdered in 1889.

Biography

He was in business in his native town, but had to leave the place on account of persecution by Manuel Lozada, a

caudillo A ''caudillo'' ( , ; , from Latin language, Latin , diminutive of ''caput'' "head") is a type of Personalist dictatorship, personalist leader wielding military and political power. There is no precise English translation for the term, though it ...

, who became a kind of independent ruler in the

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 ...

territory. Corona joined the liberals, entered the army, soon obtained the rank of general, and fought against the army of Maximilian, especially in the western states, and the French troops never became masters of that part of the country. Corona organized the Army of the west, 8,000 strong, in 1866, and crossed the country, defeating the French in many encounters. He reached

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 ...

, participated in the siege, and, after the final victory of the Mexicans, Maximilian surrendered to him on 15 May 1867. The republic having been reinstated, President

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 ...

gave Corona a high military office, with residence at Guadalajara. At that time Lozada, thinking to subjugate the whole nation, organized an army of 16,000 men, and issued a proclamation to his troops, telling them to expect no compensation but what they could get from the vanquished towns. On 28 January 1872, at daybreak, began a bloody battle, near Mojonera, between his forces and about 1,400 men under Corona. Lozada was routed, leaving over 3,000 dead on the field, while the rest of his troops dispersed. Next day Corona entered Guadalajara in triumph, after having saved that city from the army of plunderers, for which he was given the title of "Hero de la Mojonera." President Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada appointed him minister to

, where he remained twelve years. He returned to Mexico in 1884, and was put in command of the Federal army at Jalisco. On November 10, 1889 he was stabbed various times by an individual named Ron Salcedo who had previously murdered a local police official. He died of his wounds the following day.

Biography

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Further reading