Some of the Heroes of the independence of Guatemala Most prominent are Atanasio Tzul, Jose Cecilio del Valle and Maria Dolores Bedoya de Molina.
The Republic of Guatemala is a Central American country delimited by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, Honduras to the east and El Salvador to the southeast. Its population is approximately 15.8 million; Is the most populous state in Central America.
Signature of the Central American Act of Independence. Rafael Betranena.
Guatemala is a Representative democracy ; Its capital and largest city is Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, also known as Guatemala City. However, the road to independence was not easy.
Guatemala would proclaim itself independent of Spain, along with other Latin American countries, in 1821. However, it was not until 1847 that an official declaration was made republic Independent, with Career As the first president.
In this difficult process of independence, the illustrious people listed below played a very important role.
List with the 10 most prominent Guatemalan independence leaders
1- Atanasio Tzul
There are no official dates for the birth and death of Tzul, but it is admitted that he was born in about 1760 and died around the year 1830. Atanasio Tzul, was an indigenous leader of Guatemala, recognized for having been one of the leaders along with Lucas Aguilar , Of the indigenous uprising of Totonicapán of 1820.
The reason for the uprising was the imposition of payment of taxes by Fernando VII during the Lent of 1820.
During approximately twenty days, Atanasio acted like representative of the natives, until Don Prudencio Cózar, alcalde mayor of Quetzaltenango, accompanied by thousands of men, put an end to the rebellion. Tzul, Aguilar and the rebels were imprisoned and beaten.
José Simeon Cañas
José Simeon Cañas was born on February 18, 1767 in Zacatecoluca, El Salvador. Coming from a wealthy family, who during his childhood moved to Guatemala to be educated and educated.
He was part of the commission appointed by the National Constituent Assembly to review the Iguala Pact. During this process of revision, the entourage took the resolutions that would allow, in the year 1823, the absolute freedom of Central America. He passed away the 4 of March of 1838.
3 José Cecilio del Valle
He was a politician, lawyer, philosopher and journalist born on November 22, 1780 in Choluteca, Honduras. He was known as"the wise Valley"for his dedication to the studio.
He used words as his only weapons, and the most astounding thing about his life is that, despite his peaceful temperament and lack of military glamor, his efforts did not go unnoticed by the mass of his compatriots
In 1821 he was elected mayor of Guatemala City, a position he held until June (1821). In the same year, Central America became independent of Spanish domination. José del Valle wrote the Central American Independence Act.
To date, there is controversy regarding this document because del Valle did not sign it. Most historians, however, agreed that he was not supposed to sign that document.
4 - Pedro Molina Mazariegos
Dr. Pedro José Antonio Molina Mazariegos, born April 29, 1777 in Guatemala, was a Central American politician, considered one of the founders of liberalism in Guatemala.
From July 10, 1823 to October 4, 1823 he served in the first executive triumvirate of the newly independent Federal Republic of Central America and was the first president of the triumvirate.
Later he was president of the states of Guatemala (23 of August of 1829 to 10 of February of 1831) and Los Altos (28 of December of 1838 to 27 of January of 1840) within the federation. He died on September 21, 1854.
5 - Mariano Antonio de Larrave
He was part of the 13 signatories of the Guatemala Independence Act, although there are indications of his opposition to the annexation of Mexico. He held the position of first mayor of Guatemala City during the Guatemalan independence process.
He was in charge of the administration and organization of the new country, but maintained ties with the old Spanish authorities.
6- Mariano Gálvez
Gálvez, was a jurist and liberal politician in Guatemala. During two consecutive periods, from August 28, 1831 to March 3, 1838, he was Head of State of the State of Guatemala, within the Federal Republic of Central America.
In the City Hall of Guatemala City he presented the motion to end the war between Guatemala and El Salvador. He served as Gabino Gainza's private counselor during his administration of the State of Guatemala, and it is probably because of his influence that the latter did not vigorously oppose the popular movement for freedom.
After independence, Gálvez favored the annexation of Guatemala to Mexico. When the first Central American Congress met in Guatemala in 1825, he was one of the deputies and became president of the Congress.
Galvez died on March 29, 1862 in Mexico and his remains were buried in the cemetery of San Fernando. In 1925 his body was repatriated and today he remains in the old Law School of Guatemala City.
7- Manuel José Arce and Fagoaga
He was a general and president of the Federal Republic of Central America, from 1825 to 1829, followed by Francisco Morazán.
Arce joined the movement for the independence of Spain, joining the first Cry for Independence on November 5, 1811 in San Salvador. It was directed by his uncle, Jose Matías Delgado, the vicar of San Salvador.
The rebels held the government for almost a month before the royal authority was restored from Guatemala. Arce also participated in the second uprising that began on January 22, 1814. This cost him four years in prison.
Arce died in poverty in San Salvador on December 14, 1847. His remains were buried in the Church of La Merced in San Salvador.
8- José Matías Delgado
He was a Salvadoran priest and doctor known as El Padre de la Patria Salvadoreña. He was leader of the independence movement of El Salvador from the Spanish Empire and from 28 of November of 1821 to 9 of February of 1823 when he was president of the constituent congress Central American that met in the city of Guatemala.
9- José Francisco Barrundia and Cepeda
Born on May 12, 1787 in New Guatemala of the Assumption and was a writer and president of the Federal Republic of Central America.
All his life he maintained an ideal independence, for which he was constantly persecuted. He was part of the Bethlehem Conjuration of 1813, for which he was sentenced to death. The City of Guatemala intervened and the sentence was not carried out. He would die in New York, on September 4, 1854.
10- María Dolores Bedoya de Molina
Maria Dolores Bedoya de Molina, was born on September 20, 1783 in Guatemala. He was part of the independence movement of Central America. He supported the people in favor of Spanish independence on September 14, 1821. He was the wife of Doctor Pedro Molina Mazariegos.
More information on Guatemala's independence
Most of Guatemala was conquered by the Spanish in the sixteenth century, becoming part of the viceroyalty of New Spain. In a short time, the Spanish contact resulted in an epidemic that devastated native populations.
Hernán Cortés, who had led the Spanish conquest of Mexico, granted a permit to captains Gonzalo de Alvarado and his brother Pedro de Alvarado to conquer this land, eventually leading the entire region under Spanish rule.
On September 15, 1821, the Captaincy General of Guatemala, formed by Chiapas, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Honduras, officially proclaimed its independence from Spain. The captaincy general disbanded two years later. It was not until 1825 that Guatemala created its own flag.
The region from the southern border of Mexico to Panama is now declared a new nation. It is known as the Central American Federation, with its capital in Guatemala City. Nevertheless, conflicts between the different constituent provinces generated almost permanent civil wars between liberal and conservative factions.
The dominant figure is the Honduran general Francisco Morazán , Who has been president since 1830. In 1838, the Guatemalan and Guatemalan forces invaded Guatemala and arrived in San Sur, where Chúa Álvarez, father-in-law of Rafael Carrera, a military commander, was executed and later became the first president of Guatemala .
Liberal forces impaled Álvarez's head. Carrera and his wife Petrona, who had come to confront Morazan as soon as they learned of the invasion, swore they would never forgive Morazan even in his grave; They felt that it was impossible to respect anyone who did not avenge family members.
Rafael Carrera, with the support of the Indians and the rural clergy, overthrows the liberal government of Francisco Morazán in 1840. On March 21, 1847, Guatemala declared itself an independent republic and Carrera became its first president.
References
- Guatemala Travel Guide. Retrieved from: travelingguatemala.com.
- McCleary, Rachel (1999). Dictating Democracy: Guatemala and the End of Violent Revolution.
- Rosa, Ramón (1974). History of the Meritorious General Don Francisco Morazán, former President of the Republic of Central America.
Grandin, Greg (2000). The blood of Guatemala: a history of race and nation . Duke University Press.