Vicente Guerrero

Many people in the world do not know his name. However, Vicente Guerrero should be a character revered throughout history and seen and recognized as a leader who fought for freedom , independence and peace . It was a general during the war of independence of Mexico , helped draft the constitution of the nation and abolished slavery during his presidential government.

What did

Vicente Guerrero was a Mexican soldier and politician who fought during the times of the Resistance, reactivating the struggle for the country’s independence that had previously been started by the insurgents . He managed to get the support of the working mulatto class that lived in Guerrero, Veracruz and Mexico City , which made him an important character in the history of the nation. He gave special importance to the fight against foreigners achieving the Second Expulsion Law , in addition, he fought against the absolutist regime of Agustín de Iturbide.

Biography of Vicente Guerrero

Vicente Ramón Guerrero Saldaña was born on August 9, 1782 in Mexico. His parents were Juan Pedro Guerrero and María Guadalupe Saldaña . The son of a humble family, he dedicated himself in his youth to helping his parents by working as a muleteer in the family business. He received a basic education through private tutors and developed skills as a horseman , acquired knowledge of armory , got to know the southern and southwestern territories of Mexico, and learned to survive in mountainous areas.

Guerrero participated in the war of independence and when it ended, he held different political positions in addition to participating in the defense of the country in a Spanish invasion . He was appointed as president in 1829 , although he only lasted 8 months. He received a coup by the conservatives and was betrayed by orders of Bustamante.

Presidency

The government of Mexico Vicente Guerrero as president lasted from April 1 until 17 of December of 1829 and although it was a short government was a major landmark in the struggle policies of the time. The political decisions that he made during his government were limited by the economic problems of the Mexican republic, the threat of the Spanish Empire to try to recover its largest and most powerful colony, and the strong internal opposition to his mandate.

His presidency was full of fear that he himself was responsible for instilling, mainly because he had been given the power to respond to the Spanish invasion and when he succeeded, he did not want to renounce these powers. He governed by decree, making the country’s upper class fearful until his overthrow in 1819. The Senate of Mexico declared him morally disqualified to govern.

Death

As the story goes , the war minister, Jose Antonio Facio promised 50 thousand pesos to the captain Francisco Picaluga if he could catch a Guerrero . On January 14, 1831, Picaluga invited Guerrero to lunch with his collaborators on his boat, once there, he captured them and set sail for Puerto de Santa María de Huatulco , a place known as La Delivery . On January 25, a legal proceeding was initiated against him, ending with the death penalty . On February 14, 1831, I was shot in Cuilápam, Oaxaca .

Vicente Guerrero’s death was frowned upon internationally, so much so that even in Genoa Picaluga was declared a “ bandit of the first order ”, and he was sentenced to death while in Central America the Colombo ship was ordered to sink ; and in Mexico the soldiers who were against Guerrero were expelled. Currently his remains are in the National Museum of History of Mexico.

Contributions

During his presidency Vicente Guerrero created projects ends of law on illegality in public stores , to prevent access of immigrants to mortgage loans, banned the import of textiles, signed measures that protected local production, took action against the wealth of the church and promised to protect the Catholic religion as one of the bases of the Constitution of 1824.

His government managed to anticipate the liberal movement that would later develop by embracing federalism and accusing detractors of centralists. He defended egalitarianism as well as the equitable distribution of power at the local level. He increased the cost of taxes and confiscated half of the income from the properties they owned from the Spanish.

Although his government lasted only eight and a half months and prompted the decree to abolish the slavery , created public schools and fought to establish free education , tried to develop the national industry through the use of Mexican labor, made a center of attention for disabled of the war and managed to establish a series of economic , social and legal measures . 

Thought of Vicente Guerrero

His political thinking was directly influenced by the social organization that existed on the Costa Grande in southern New Spain , the insurgent’s native region, since a marked hierarchical social organization and a predominant racism exerted in the place . He fought for the social thinking of the insurgents and did not believe in slavery either.

Personality

Vicente Guerrero was always a loyal and committed man . He is considered by many historians as a person who had a tireless tenacity in pursuit of his aspirations who always fought for a cause that was practically lost. He was a noble , ambitious man , a caring , caring , friendly and courageous warrior who served as an example to the insurgent army.

Physical characteristics

According to the stories, Vicente Guerrero was a tall man with brown skin , he was very strong and also descended from the black race who had blue eyes. Some accounts also say that he was a tall and stocky man , with an aquiline nose, bright and clear eyes and also had large sideburns .

Parents

His father was Juan Pedro Guerrero Soriano , a man who was dedicated to the work of the armory , so it was from him that he learned the use and maintenance of weapons, he was also a man known and respected by the government, who was from Afro-Mexican descent . His mother was Guadalupe Saldaña , a humble Indian .

Relations

Vicente Guerrero married Guadalupe Hernández , with whom he had a daughter and also had six grandchildren , including Vicente Riva Palacio, who was a Mexican politician, military man, jurist and writer.

Sons

Vicente Guerrero had an only daughter whom he named Dolores . 

Clothing

Vicente Guerrero used to wear long pants with a cloth jacket . It had a series of gold applications on it as well as buttons . His boots were black and came down to his knee. Also used a belt made of cloth colored blue and a kind of epaulettes with fringes on his shoulders. The shirt with a high neck and at the end of its sleeves, pieces of red fabric embroidered with gold thread .

Flag

The flag that Vicente Guerrero used during his government had stripes placed diagonally with a star on each. In the first place the white color that symbolized the purity of the Catholic religion was placed ; In the center, there was the green color representing independence , and at the end the red , which was the symbol of union between Creoles, Spaniards, Indians, Africans, mulattoes, Asians and all kinds of castes that had been born from the racial mixture that was it gave in the three centuries of Spanish domination.

Importance

Vicente Guerrero was very important for the country because he was in charge of fighting against the different military uprisings by the Spanish, marking with his actions the beginning of the end of the First Federal Republic of Mexico, in addition to having been a president who fought against slavery and for the equality of citizens.

Vicente Guerrero quotes

Two of the most important and well-known phrases that Vicente Guerrero said were:

• The good for all, the greatest good for the country.
• I have always respected my father, but the country comes first.

Acknowledgments

In his honor, the State of Guerrero was named , several schools and hospitals also bear his name with the aim of honoring and remembering him. In the Wall of Honor that is located in the Legislative Palace of San Lázaro you can find his most famous phrase that says:  “The homeland is first . ” In the National Anthem of the country, original version, we can find in stanzas VIII and IX, a reference to Vicente Guerrero.