From the East - March 2025
Benito Pablo Juárez García 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, he was the first Indigenous president of Mexico and the first democratically elected Indigenous president in the postcolonial Americas.
Born: March 21, 1806, San Pablo Guelatao, Mexico.
Died: July 18, 1872 (age 66 years), National Palace, Mexico City, Mexico.
For many Mexican citizens, Benito Juarez remains the most highly regarded of presidents and to this day is the only Mexican president honored with the title of Benémerito de las Americas (Hero of the Americas). Born 1806 to Zapotec Indians, he received a basic seminary education and later graduated with a law degree from the Oaxacan Institute of Sciences and Arts. Juarez became known as an educator, lawyer, and member of the Oaxacan state legislature. After being elected to the national Chamber of Deputies, he emerged as a prominent Liberal leader, helping to draft the Constitution of 1857 that extended rights to Mexican people. One provision of that charter, known as the Ley Juarez, abolished the legal privileges of the Church and the military.
When Conservatives initiated a civil war aimed at annulling this constitution, Juarez led the Liberal forces to victory in the ensuing War of the Reform (1857-1860). When the subsequent French invasion reached Mexico City, he refused to surrender and instead retreated to the north of México. Juarez and Abraham Lincoln shared much in common, sympathizing with each other’s cause during the civil wars faced by their respective nations. After the defeat of the French and the execution of Maximilian, Juarez resumed his duties as president in 1867. He was reelected to that post and served until his death in 1872.
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