- Ignacio Zaragoza
Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín (
March 25 ,1829 –September 8 ,1862 ) was ageneral in the MexicanArmy , best known for his 1862 victory against the French invading forces in theBattle of Puebla onMay 5 (the "Cinco de Mayo ").Zaragoza was born in the town of Presidio de la Bahía del Espíritu Santo in what was then the Mexican state of
Coahuila y Tejas , now the city ofGoliad, Texas , in theUnited States . The Zaragoza family moved to Matamoros in 1834 and then toMonterrey in 1844, where young Ignacio entered theseminary .During Mexico's political unrest of the 1850s, Zaragoza joined the army supporting the cause of Mexico's Liberal Party, opposing dictator
Antonio López de Santa Anna . He led an army of volunteers in 1855 that defeated Santa Anna and led to the reestablishment of a constitutional democratic government in Mexico.Zaragoza served as Secretary of War from April through October 1861 in the cabinet of President
Benito Juárez . He resigned to lead the Mexican Army of the East against invading Europeans.When the French forces of
Napoleon III invaded Mexico, Zaragoza fought them, first engaging the French atAcultzingo onApril 28 ,1862 , where he was forced to withdraw. Zaragoza understood the favorable defensive position outside of the city of Puebla, where, with a force that was smaller and not as well equipped as the French, he beat back repeated French assaults onMay 5 . The French then retreated toOrizaba .Shortly after his famous victory, he contracted
typhoid fever , of which he died at the age of 33.His famous quote "Las armas nacionales se han cubierto de gloria" is used to remember the battle, and is included, along with Zaragoza's bust, on the current MXN $500 banknote. The phrase means "The national arms have been covered with glory." It comes from the one-line letter he wrote to his superiors (namely,
President Benito Juárez ) to inform them about the victory over the French.ee also
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History of Mexico References
*"Zaragoza, Ignacio Seguín". [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/ZZ/fza4.html The Handbook of Texas Online] . Retrieved
July 1 ,2005 .
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