Juan Aldama (January 3, 1774 in

San Miguel el Grande San Miguel El Grande is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 4705 km². It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region The Mixteca Region is a region in the s ...

Guanajuato Guanajuato (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato), is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city i ...

– June 26, 1811 in

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places * Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mu ...

) was a Mexican revolutionary rebel soldier during the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de México, links=no, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from Spain. It was not a single, co ...

in 1810.

Biography

He was also the brother of

Ignacio Aldama Ignacio Aldama (died June 20, 1811) was a Mexican revolutionary and brother of Juan Aldama. Ignacio Aldama was born in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. He was a lawyer, but devoted himself to commercial projects with marked success. From th ...

. At the beginning of the War of Independence, Aldama was a captain of the cavalry regiment of the Queen's militia. He attended the conspiratorial meetings for independence in

Querétaro Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities. Its cap ...

, organized by

Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez María Josefa Crescencia Ortiz Téllez–Girón, popularly known as Doña Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez or ''La Corregidora'' (8 September 1768 – 2 March 1829) was an insurgent and supporter of the Mexican War of Independence, which fought ...

, despite having to travel from San Miguel el Grande (now San Miguel de Allende) in neighboring

. Aldama was in San Miguel when he heard news that the conspiracy had been betrayed by a supporter who informed the Spanish colonial authorities. He traveled to Dolores (now Dolores Hidalgo) to inform

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), more commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader of the Mexican W ...

and

Ignacio Allende Ignacio José de Allende y Unzaga (, , ; January 21, 1769 – June 26, 1811), commonly known as Ignacio Allende, was a captain of the Spanish Army in New Spain who came to sympathize with the Mexican independence movement. He attended the secr ...

. He witnessed the Grito de Dolores ("Cry of Dolores") on the night of September 15, 1810, which started the armed conflict. Aldama was captured by the Spanish colonial authorities on March 21, 1811 at the

Wells of Baján Wells of Baján ( es, Norias de Baján) are water wells located between Saltillo and Monclova in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila. The small community near the wells is called Acatita de Baján. In the first phase of the Mexican War of In ...

Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...

. He was

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

ed for insubordination towards the Spanish Crown and executed for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

, by firing squad on June 26, 1811, together with Allende and other members of the rebel army including Mariano Jiménez and

Manuel Santa María Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manu ...

. Aldama's body was decapitated and his head taken to the

Alhóndiga de Granaditas The Alhóndiga de Granaditas (Regional Museum of Guanajuato) ( public grain exchange) is an old grain storage building in Guanajuato City, Mexico. This historic building was created to replace an old grain exchange near the city's river. The name ...

where it was shown to the public inside a cage hung from one corner of the building. In 1824, his remains were moved to an

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in pagan ...

in the Metropolitan Cathedral in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

. Finally, in 1925, his remains were moved one last time to the mausoleum in the Independence Column in Mexico City.

Legacy

Aldama is a national

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...

of Mexico. In his honor, several towns and villages are named after him. The following category includes: * The municipality of

Juan Aldama, Zacatecas Juan Aldama is a city in the northwestern portion of the Mexican state of Zacatecas. It is the biggest community in the Municipality of Juan Aldama and the seat of the municipal government. It was renamed for insurgent Juan Aldama Juan Aldam ...

. * The municipality of

Villaldama, Nuevo León Villaldama is a municipality in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico extending over 870.5 km². Ciudad Villaldama is its principal town and seat of government. It is located in the northern part of the state, coordinates 26º30´ N and 100º25 ...

. * The municipality of

Aldama, Tamaulipas Aldama is a municipality of the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas. According to the census of 2010, the municipality had an area of and a population of 29,470, including the town of Aldama with a population of 13,661. History The region o ...

. * The municipality of Aldama, Chihuahua. *The municipality of Villa Aldama, Veracruz * The city of

León, Guanajuato () , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = , established_title = Founde ...

, was officially renamed to "León de los Aldama" in honor of brothers Juan and Ignacio Aldama. * The municipality of Los Aldamas, Nuevo León was also named after him and his brother. * The village of Juan Aldama, "El Tigre", Sinaloa outside of

Culiacán Culiacán, officially Culiacán Rosales, is a city in northwestern Mexico, the capital and largest city of both the Culiacán Municipality and the state of Sinaloa. The city was founded on 29 September 1531, by the Spanish conquerors Lázar ...

. * The street Juan Aldama in

Mexicali Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California. The city, seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali metropolitan area is home to 1,000,0 ...

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

in the Colonia Independencia (neighborhood).

External links

Biografía de Juan Aldama (Bio)Juan Aldama, Zacatecas Website

Los Aldamas, Nuevo Leon

Villaldama, Nuevo Leon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aldama, Juan 1774 births 1811 deaths People from San Miguel de Allende Mexican independence activists

Biography

Legacy

See also

External links