José Gabriel de Armijo (1774–1830) was a Spanish and Mexican military commander of

caudillo A ''caudillo'' ( , ; , from Latin language, Latin , diminutive of ''caput'' "head") is a type of Personalist dictatorship, personalist leader wielding military and political power. There is no precise English translation for the term, though it ...

origin known for his role in the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence (, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional ...

Biography

José Gabriel was born in San Nicolás de Tierranueva,

San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí, officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí, is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 59 municipalities and is named after its capital city, San Luis Potosí. It ...

in 1774. On 16 October 1795, he enters the historical chronicle when he joined the militia of the State of San Luis Potosí as a

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

. He later was a part of the military corps under the command of General Félix María Calleja del Rey, who would later become

Viceroy of New Spain This article lists the viceroys who ruled the Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1535 to 1821 in the name of the monarch of Spain. In addition to viceroys, this article lists the highest Spanish governors of the viceroyalty, before the appointment o ...

, at the outbreak of the Mexican War of Independence. Under Calleja's command, Armijo participated in the Battle of Aculco, the Battle of Guanajuato and the

Battle of the Puente de Calderón 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 ...

. He went on to gain his own command within the Spanish royalist army until the formal independence of

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 ...

. In 1812, he again served in Calleja's army commanding forces at the

Siege of Cuautla The siege of Cuautla was a battle of the War of Mexican Independence that occurred from 19 February through 2 May 1812 at Cuautla de Morelos, Cuautla, Morelos. The Spanish Royalist (Spanish American Revolution), royalist forces loyal to the ...

. On 30 September 1818, the fought against the Mexican rebels under the command of future Mexican president

Vicente Guerrero Vicente Ramón Guerrero Saldaña (; baptized 10 August 1782 – 14 February 1831) was a Mexican military officer from 1810–1821 and a statesman who became the nation's second president in 1829. He was one of the leading generals who fought ag ...

at the

Battle of the Cerro de Barrabás 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 ...

, a Spanish defeat. In 1821, he signed on to the

Plan of Iguala The Plan of Iguala, also known as the Plan of the Three Guarantees ("Plan Trigarante") or Act of Independence of North America, was a revolutionary proclamation promulgated on 24 February 1821, in the final stage of the Mexican War of Independenc ...

and joined the

Army of the Three Guarantees At the end of the Mexican War of Independence, the Army of the Three Guarantees ( or ) was the name given to the army after the unification of the Spanish troops led by Agustín de Iturbide and the Mexican insurgent troops of Vicente Guerrero, c ...

. During the

First Mexican Empire The Mexican Empire (, ) was a constitutional monarchy and the first independent government of Mexico. It was also the only former viceroyalty of the Spanish Empire to establish a monarchy after gaining independence. The empire existed from 18 ...

, he fought in the Battle of Almolonga on the side of Agustin de Iturbide and the imperialists against the republican rebels. In this battle, he defeated the rebel army under the command of his old adversaries,

and

Nicolás Bravo Nicolás Bravo Rueda (10 September 1786 – 22 April 1854) was a Mexican soldier and politician who served as interim President of Mexico three times, in 1839, 1842, and 1846. Previously, he fought in the Mexican War of Independence, and ser ...

On 11 March 1830, when Juan José Codallos Núñez proclaimed the Plan of the Fortaleza de Santiago, he was ordered to do battle against Col. Juan Nepomuceno Álvarez Hurtado On 30 August of the same year, he was defeated at the Battle of Texca by the federalist forces under Álvarez Hurtado. Whilst fleeing the field of battle, he was caught by Álvarez' pursuing troops in a

gully A gully is a landform A landform is a land feature on the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. They may be natural or may be anthropogenic (caused or influenced by human activity). Landforms together make up a given ter ...

and was hacked to death shortly thereafter.

In popular culture

José Gabriel de Armijo has been portrayed in various movies and books as he is a character that is significant in

Mexican history The history of Mexico spans over three millennia, with the earliest evidence of hunter-gatherer settlement 13,000 years ago. Central and southern Mexico, known as Mesoamerica, saw the rise of complex civilizations that developed glyphic writing ...

. In 1943, he was played by

Antonio Bravo Antonio Bravo (12 May 1906 – 28 February 1992) was a Spanish-born Mexican film and television actor.Agrasánchez, Jr. p.159 He appeared in more than a hundred and forty productions during a lengthy career. Selected filmography * '' Beautiful ...

in the film El rayo del sur. In 2010, he was played by

Felipe Nájera Felipe is the Spanish variant of the name Philip, which derives from the Greek adjective ''Philippos'' "friend of horses". Felipe is also widely used in Portuguese-speaking Brazil alongside Filipe, the form commonly used in Portugal. Noteworthy ...

in the Mexican TV show " Gritos de muerte y libertad". He appears in the episode titled ''La última conjura''.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Armijo, Jose Gabriel de 1774 births 1830 deaths People of the Mexican War of Independence Spanish generals