The Mexico City National Cemetery is a cemetery 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 ...
. It was established in 1851 by the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
to gather the American dead of the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the ...
that lay in the nearby fields and to provide burial space for Americans who died in the vicinity.
The first dedicated United States military cemetery abroad, it served as a model for later cemeteries.
History
An
act of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called private laws), or to the general public ( public laws). For a bill to become an act, the text must pass through both house ...
on 28 September 1850 authorized the purchase of land for a cemetery.
Two acres were purchased for US$3,000 and US$1,734 worth of improvements were done in July 1852. The 750 individuals were interred in 1853.
A small monument marks the common grave of 750 American dead of the War of 1847. Inscribed on the monument are the words:
:TO THE HONORED MEMORY
:OF 750 AMERICANS
:KNOWN BUT TO GOD
:WHOSE BONES COLLECTED
:BY THEIR COUNTRY'S ORDER
:ARE HERE BURIED
This inscription is incorrect: all the names are known.
The March 29, 1866, edition of ''
The Nation
''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper t ...
'' reported that cemetery keeper Schneider was given permission to grow produce on the grounds to supplement the commissions he earned from burials. He grew
cabbages
Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...
, so the cemetery was consequently given the epithet "American cabbage-ground" by Mexico City residents.
In May 1872, the US Congress approved an annual salary of US$1,105 for the cemetery keeper.
In January 1873 the cemetery came under the protection and funding of the administration responsible for military cemeteries in the United States.
In this area are also placed 813 remains of Americans and others in wall crypts on either side of the cemetery. The cemetery was closed to further burials in 1923.
The cemetery, which is administered by the
American Battle Monuments Commission
The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) is an independent agency of the United States government that administers, operates, and maintains permanent U.S. military cemeteries, memorials and monuments primarily outside the United States.
...
, is open daily to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except December 25 and January 1. It is open on host country holidays. When the cemetery is open to the public, a staff member is on duty in the Visitor Building to answer questions and escort relatives to grave and memorial sites.
Location
The cemetery is at 31 Virginia Fabregas,
Colonia San Rafael
Colonia San Rafael is a colonia of the Cuauhtémoc borough of Mexico City, just west of the historic city center. It was established in the late 19th century as one of the first formal neighborhoods outside of the city center and initially cater ...
, about west of the
Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven ( es, Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de la Bienaventurada Virgen María a los cielos) is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Me ...
and north of the U.S. embassy.
Notable burials
*
Henry Watkins Allen
Henry Watkins Allen (April 29, 1820April 22, 1866) was a member of the Confederate States Army and the Texian Army as a soldier, also serving as a military leader, politician, writer, slave owner, and sugar cane planter.
He had made it to the ...
(1820–1866), Confederate States brigadier general and governor of Louisiana, later disinterred and buried in Louisiana
*
James E. Slaughter (1827–1901), Confederate States brigadier general
American Battle Monuments Commission
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References
Further reading
*
External links
American Battle Monuments Commission – Mexico City National Cemetery
*
{{Authority control
National cemeteries
Cemeteries in Mexico City
United States national cemeteries
American Battle Monuments Commission
Mexican–American War
Tourist attractions in Mexico City
1851 establishments in Mexico