el crispito

He was Zapotec and came from a small village in Oaxaca. His childhood was rough, but he was determined to get an education. He studied at a seminary in Oaxaca, and then after graduation, started his study of law. He became a lawyer, then judge, then the governor of the state of Oaxaca. He lived for a while in New Orleans when the military dictatorship of Santa Anna controlled Mexico. He returned to be Chief Justice and Vice-President under Ignacio Comonfort. After a conservative uprising which he helped to defeat, Juárez was elected president in 1861.

One of his first big acts as president was to declare a moritorium on payment of foreign debts, as the Mexican government was on the brink of bankruptcy. This did not please Mexico's European creditors, and France invaded Mexico in 1862 in retaliation. The defeat of the French by a smaller Mexican force at Puebla on 5 May 1862 is now what is celebrated annually on that day in the United States, and to a significantly lesser degree, in Mexico. In 1863, the French were able to establish a foothold in the country, naming Maximilian of Habsburg as "Emperor of Mexico" in the following year. Juárez and his government had to flee to the north, but they continued to do their work from there.

It's a bummer that Maximilian was actually a relatively cool guy, at least compared with other Europeans that had been sent over to conquer and rule Mexico. He shared liberal and Mexican nationalist sentiments with Juárez, and offered him amnesty and the post of prime minister under the monarchy. Juárez refused the idea of Mexico being governed by a foreign monarchy, and with threats of intervention by the United States to restore home rule to Mexico, France began a pull-out from Mexico in 1866. With the last of Maximilian's troops being defeated the following year, Maximilian was sentenced to death for treason. Some sources say that Juárez offered him a chance to escape, but Maximilian was a man of his principles and preferred to accept his defeat instead of fleeing. Juárez was asked by several people around the world to commute the death sentence, but he refused. Maximilian was executed on 19 June 1867 by firing squad. His last words were: "I forgive everybody. I pray that everybody may also forgive me, and my blood which is about to be shed will bring peace to Mexico. Long live Mexico! Long Live Independence!"

In 1872, Juárez died of a heart attack. He is remembered for his defense of national sovereignty and the passage of important liberal reforms that stripped the Catholic church of their power in state affairs and advanced civil rights and capitalism. This year is the 200th anniversary of his birthday, but starting next year, Mexico will celebrate his birthday on the third Monday of March.

Juárez is pictured on the Mexican 20 peso note, with the monument to him in Mexico City pictured on the reverse.