Birthday of Benito Juarez
March 21
The man in the black carriage
Benito Juarez (behn [ee]{.smallcaps} toh [hwah]{.smallcaps} rehs) was
one of the greatest leaders in the history of Mexico. His birthday, on
March 21, is celebrated as a national holiday.
Juarez was born in a small village in the year 1806. His parents, who
were Zapotec [(zah]{.smallcaps} puh tehk) Indians, were very poor. They
died when Juarez was only three years old.
As a young boy, Juarez worked in the fields with an uncle. Juarez could
not read or write. He spoke only his Indian language.
When Juarez was twelve, he went to the city of Oaxaca in southern
Mexico. There he found a job and began to go to school. In time, he
became a lawyer and went into politics. In 1861, he was elected
president.
The following year, the French invaded Mexico. When they captured Mexico
City, Juarez fled for his life. Traveling about in his black carriage,
he continued to lead the fight for his country’s freedom.
The French made an Austrian duke, Maximilian (mack suh
[mihl]{.smallcaps} ih uhn), the emperor of Mexico. He gave orders to
shoot all followers of Juarez on sight.
Finally, in 1866, the United States forced the French to leave Mexico.
Mexican troops captured Maximilian and he was shot by a firing squad.
Juarez, still traveling in his plain black carriage, returned to Mexico
City and his office in the National Palace. Today, the president still
has an office there. But now, part of the Palace is the Juarez museum.
There is a statue of Juarez in Washington, D.C. It was a gift from the
people of Mexico to the people of the United States. On the base of the
statue are these words by Juarez: \”Respect for the rights of others is
peace.”
