Aureliano Urrutia, Sr. (6 June 1872 – 14 August 1975) was a Mexican-born physician. He served as the Minister of Interior under

Victoriano Huerta José Victoriano Huerta Márquez (; 23 December 1850 – 13 January 1916) was a Mexican general, politician, engineer and dictator who was the 39th President of Mexico, who came to power by coup against the democratically elected government of ...

in Mexico but subsequently spent most of his life and career in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Biography

Urrutia was born in

Xochimilco Xochimilco (; ) is a borough () of Mexico City. The borough is centered on the formerly independent city of Xochimilco, which was established on what was the southern shore of Lake Xochimilco in the precolonial period. Today, the borough cons ...

Federal District A federal district is a specific administrative division in one of various federations. These districts may be under the direct jurisdiction of a federation's national government, as in the case of federal territory (e.g., India, Malaysia), or the ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, on June 6, 1872, the son of Pedro Urrutia and Refugio Sandoval, of indigenous descent. He studied in

and

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. Urrutia earned a degree in

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

from the National School of Medicine in 1890 and was considered the best student of his generation. In 1893 he served as a military doctor in the territory of

Quintana Roo Quintana Roo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 administrative divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into municipalities of ...

. Later he became a member of the 3rd battalion stationed in

Chilpancingo Chilpancingo de los Bravo (commonly shortened to Chilpancingo; ; Nahuatl: Chilpantzinco ()) is the capital and second-largest city of the Mexican state of Guerrero. In 2010 it had a population of 187,251 people. The municipality has an area of ...

; there he met General Victoriano Huerta, who many years later, in June 1913, appointed Urrutia to the position of Minister of the Interior. After a few months, he resigned from that post and returned to his profession as a surgeon. As the political situation across Mexico was deteriorating around this time, Urrutia in 1914 moved his family to

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

, where he and his family were seized by American troops and taken to

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

. From there they moved to

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, where he lived for the remainder of his life, practicing and teaching medicine. In San Antonio, Urrutia built a home, which he named Quinta Urrutia, then, in 1921, another property named Miraflores. The grounds and gardens of Miraflores feature extensive

statuary A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size. A sculpture ...

and other classical and Mexican indigenous art. Miraflores has been preserved and as of the 2020s there are no plans for restoration. Urrutia died on August 15, 1975, in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

Publications

Dr. Urrutia's clinic: One month's work
(1922)

References

External links

*
Miraflores: Dr. Urrutia's Lost GardenMiraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory
1872 births 1975 deaths Mexican surgeons Mexican revolutionaries Secretaries of the interior of Mexico Mexican men centenarians Mexican emigrants to the United States {{Mexico-politician-stub