Rodolfo Herrero was a Mexican military officer, noteworthy for his participation in the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

of 1910 to 1920. He is generally believed to be the officer responsible for the death of President Venustiano Carranza.

Biography

In early 1920, Herrero was a rebel commander subordinate to General Manuel Pelaez. However, in March 1920, he surrendered to Carranza's forces under the promise of amnesty and he was allowed to keep his rank of General. In May 1920, Carranza's government collapsed under pressure from forces supporting Álvaro Obregón. Carranza and his supporters attempted to flee

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 ...

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 ...

. At the Aljibes rail station, they were informed that the rail line had been severed and that Veracruz had fallen. So Carranza proposed to travel on foot north to San Luis Potosí. It was near the rural village of La Union that Carranza's small party was joined by the forces of Rodolfo Herrero. Herrero offered to guide and escort Carranza's party through the rugged rural area of northern

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

. He escorted the party to the small settlement of Tlaxcalantongo. Herrero then excused himself by saying he had to attend to a wounded brother Hermilo Herrero, but promised to return. In the early morning of May 21, 1920, Carranza's party was attacked by soldiers believed to be under the command of the Herrero brothers. When the dawn came, Carranza was discovered dead from several bullet wounds. Rodolfo Herrero was ordered to Mexico City for questioning. Obregón denounced him for murder and treason. In the Capital, Herrero was questioned at length but not held. Seven months later, he was confined for a week in the military prison of Santiago Tlaltelolco. He was stripped of his military rank and cashiered out of the army, but otherwise allowed to go free. Herrero was subsequently reinstated as a general during the presidency of Obregón, only to be dismissed again during the presidency of

Lázaro Cárdenas Lázaro Cárdenas del Río (; 21 May 1895 – 19 October 1970) was a Mexican army officer and politician who served as president of Mexico from 1934 to 1940. Previously, he served as a general in the Constitutional Army during the Mexican Revo ...

in 1937. His brother Hermilo Herrero joined forces with Francisco "Pancho" Villa. Slowly moving up the ranks and eventually becoming a general for the Villa army. He died of natural causes in 1964. He always denied that Carranza was murdered. He espoused the alternative theory that Carranza after being wounded in the leg, had committed suicide, as stated by several eyewitnesses, including Paulino Fontes, Manuel Aguirre, Pedro gil Farias and Ignacio Suarez. This theory presumes that general Basave y Piña never intended to kill Carranza but to capture him.

Books

*Johnson, William Weber, HEROIC MEXICO: The Violent Emergence of a Modern Nation, 1968, pgs 353-355 * Krauze, Enrique, BIOGRAFIA DEL PODER (1910-1940), pgs 260-267 1880 births 1964 deaths Mexican generals People of the Mexican Revolution Assassins of presidents {{mexico-mil-bio-stub