Francisco Florencio Antillón Moreno (22 of February 1830- 18 February 1903) was a Mexican general and politician. He fought in the major Mexican wars of the 19th Century and served as governor of the state of

Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...

between 1867 and 1876. During this period important civic developments took place in the city of Guanajuato.

Biography

Born on February 22, 1830, in the city of Guanajuato, son of Manuel Antillón and Josefa Moreno. He started his military career at 14 years old in the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Regiment of Guanajuato. Fought against the US invasion of Mexico and saw action during the

Reform War The Reform War (17 December 185711 January 1861) or War of Reform (), also known as the Three Years' War (), and the Mexican Civil War, was a complex civil conflict in Mexico fought between Mexican liberals and conservatives with regional var ...

fighting on the side of the Liberals. On April 24, 1860, Antillón participated in the

Battle of Loma Alta A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

as Colonel in charge of the Guanajuato brigade, under General José López Uraga. He was ordered to march to Puebla in 1862, but arrived a day after the

Battle of Puebla The Battle of Puebla (; ), also known as the Battle of May 5 () took place on 5 May 1862, near Puebla de los Ángeles, during the second French intervention in Mexico. French troops under the command of Charles de Lorencez repeatedly failed to s ...

, and joined the Mexican Republican forces defeated in the Battle of Barranca Seca. General Florencio Antillon p

Antillón proclaimed himself governor of Guanajuato on September 17, 1867, and was recognized by President

Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec peoples, Zapotec, he w ...

. On January 26, 1868, he recovered the city of Guanajuato that had been occupied during the

Second French intervention in Mexico The second French intervention in Mexico (), also known as the Second Franco-Mexican War (1861–1867), was a military invasion of the Republic of Mexico by the French Empire of Napoleon III, purportedly to force the collection of Mexican de ...

, defeating Conservative General Feliciano de Liceaga. During his stay in Guanajuato in 1870 American explorer Albert S. Evans described Antillón as "a man of splendid personal appearance, tall, handsome and intelligent." On October 26, 1876, being the legal governor of the state of Guanajuato, Antillón recognized

José María Iglesias José María Juan Nepomuceno Crisóforo Iglesias Inzáurraga (5 January 1823 – 17 December 1891) was a Mexican lawyer, professor, journalist and liberal politician. He is known as author of the Iglesias law, an anticlerical law regulating e ...

as President of México, against the re-election of

Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada y Corral (; 24 April 1823 – 21 April 1889) was a Mexican liberal politician and jurist who served as the 31st president of Mexico from 1872 to 1876. A successor to Benito Juárez, who died in office in July 1872, ...

. Antillón stayed as governor until December of that year, being replaced by Francisco Z. Mena and going into temporary exile. He returns from Europe in 1879 and participates in the presidential campaign of

Manuel González Flores José Manuel del Refugio González Flores (17 June 1833 – 8 May 1893) was a Mexican general and liberal politician who served as the 35th President of Mexico from 1880 to 1884. Before initiating his presidential career, González played i ...

, himself running again for the governorship of Guanajuato but losing against Manuel Muñoz Ledo. Antillón retires from politics and goes to live to his hacienda in Santa María, near

Celaya Celaya (; Otomi: ) is a city and its surrounding municipality in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, located in the southeast quadrant of the state. It is the third most populous city in the state, with a 2005 census population of 310,413. The muni ...

. He dies in Celaya on February 18, 1903, being 72 years old.

Legacy

During Antillón's time as governor several construction works were done in Guanajuato, some of the main examples listed below.- Decoration and refurbishment of the halls of the Government Palace, inaugurated in a New Year's ball on January 1, 1871. - Ordered the construction of the

Teatro Juárez The Teatro Juárez is a historical 19th century theater located in the Mexican city of Guanajuato (Guanajuato), Guanajuato. It was built from 1872 to 1903 from a design by architect José Noriega and by order of General Florencio Antillón. The b ...

, which started on January 2, 1873. - Made significant improvements to the State College in 1875. - Built the tunnel from the Presa de la Olla to the Zaragoza dam, which opened in July 1872. In 1902 the garden next to the Presa de la Olla was officially named "Florencio Antillón park". In this park is located the tomb of writer

Jorge Ibargüengoitia Jorge Ibargüengoitia Antillón (January 22, 1928 – November 27, 1983) was a Mexican novelist and playwright who achieved great popular and critical success with his satires, three of which have appeared in English: ''The Dead Girls'', ''T ...

, a great-grandson of General Antillón. A plaque, referring to Antillón reads: "Here rests Jorge Ibargüengoitia in the park of his great-grandfather who fought against the French."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antillon, Florencio Mexican generals Governors of Guanajuato Politicians from Guanajuato 1830 births 1903 deaths 19th-century Mexican military personnel 19th-century generals 19th-century Mexican politicians People from Guanajuato (city)