Martin Tritschler (October 22, 1814 – January 6, 1894) was a manufacturer and retailer of clocks who arrived in Mexico in 1833 from Germany, and was thus part of the first generation of non-Spanish immigrants after independence. He also participated prominently in the war against the United States, gave aid to the victims of the explosion of the Colecturía de San Andrés, during the

Second French Intervention The second French intervention in Mexico (), also known as the Second Franco-Mexican War (1861–1867), was a military invasion of the Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Republic of Mexico by the Second French Empire, French Empire of Napoleon ...

, and in 1873 he became the first man to fly the flag of Mexico on the summit of

Pico de Orizaba Citlaltépetl (from Nahuan languages, Náhuatl = star, and = mountain), otherwise known as Pico de Orizaba, is an active volcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and Table of the highest major summits of North America, third highest in North Ame ...

. He was the father of Mexican archbishops Martín Tritschler y Córdova and

Guillermo Tritschler y Córdova Guillermo () is the Spanish form of the male given name William. The name is also commonly shortened to 'Guille' or, in Latin America, to nickname 'Memo'. People * Guillermo Amador (born 1974), American musician *Guillermo Amor (born 1967), Spanis ...

Early life

Tritschler was born in a

farmhouse FarmHouse (FH) is a men's social fraternity founded at the University of Missouri on April 15, 1905. It became a national organization in 1921. Today FarmHouse has 34 active chapters in the United States and Canada.FarmHouse Fraternity New Memb ...

within the

Black Forest The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is th ...

, now part of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

, Germany. As a consequence of

primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...

, he left the farm and moved to Mexico.

Life in Mexico

Tritschler opened his clockmaking workshop in Puebla and it soon prospered. The type of clocks he specialized in were

cuckoo clock A cuckoo clock is a type of clock, typically pendulum clock, pendulum driven, that striking clock, strikes the hours with a sound like a common cuckoo call and has an automated cuckoo bird that moves with each note. Some move their wings and ope ...

s. The demand was such that he need a full team of employees, providing work to several Mexican workers. The success of his business and the hospitality he encountered, encouraged him to definitively settle in the country and ask for Mexican citizenship, which he attained on April 18, 1844.

Involvement in the Mexican–American War

Tritschler enlisted in the ranks of the National Guard within the Brigade Arteaga which was the contribution from Puebla to resist the US military, which by that time had taken the port of

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 ...

and were marching towards Mexico City. Martin was appointed Captain of said brigade and participated in the

Battle of Cerro Gordo The Battle of Cerro Gordo, or Battle of Sierra Gordo, was an engagement in the Mexican–American War on April 18, 1847. The battle saw Winfield Scott's United States troops outflank Antonio López de Santa Anna's larger Mexican army, driving ...

, being hurt to some degree. After the loss of the garrison, the Mexican army retreated to the capital leaving Puebla at the mercy of the invaders. Once the city was occupied, Tritschler was tasked with convincing German soldiers in the American military to defect. The increasing number of Germans leaving the ranks of

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as Commanding General of the United States Army from 1841 to 1861, and was a veteran of the War of 1812, American Indian Wars, Mexica ...

was attributed largely to Tritschler; these defectors would later join the Irish and others in the

Saint Patrick's Battalion The Saint Patrick's Battalion (), later reorganized as the Foreign Legion of Patricios, was a Mexican Army unit which fought against the United States in the Mexican–American War. Consisting of several hundred mostly Irish and other Catholic ...

. He was arrested and found guilty by Scott's "council of war" on two charges of spying and fomenting desertion. He was sentenced to death but as a result of Tritschler's popularity in Puebla, Scott released him on a fabricated claim of legal insanity.

Marriage and children

Martin Tritschler married Rosa María Córdova y Puig at the Hacienda de Santa Ana in Chalchicomula on June 5, 1867. A marriage that produced eight children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tritschler, Martin German emigrants to Mexico Naturalized citizens of Mexico Mexican–American War prisoners of war held by the United States People from Puebla Mexican prisoners of war 1814 births 1894 deaths 19th-century Mexican military personnel