Benito Juarez: The Most Despised Individuals Of Mexican History

In Mexican history there has been well-known people that are either honored by modern mexicans and past mexicans, and there are others that were and are despised by the Mexican people. The only way to avoid being in the list of “most despised” individuals of Mexican history is by learning from their previous mistake and try to fix what they did wrong instead of blaming others or hiding from the problem. Santa Anna, Benito Juarez, Porfirio Diaz, and Maximilian were some important and influential leaders of Mexican history, but what really differentiates them is how they handled the ups and downs of their term(s).

    For instance, one of the most hated leaders of Mexican politics is Santa Anna. When Spain invaded in order to retake Mexico, Santa

Anna played a key role in defeating them. This became his first and only military victory. When France invaded Mexico, because Mexico did not want to pay up their debt, Santa Anna gathered up some men and went into battle (Pastries War). Although Santa Anna and his troops were defeated and he ended up losing one of his legs in the fight, Santa Anna was still seen as a hero by the Mexican people. According to the reading, “Decimas dedicated to Santa Anna’s Leg”, he and his leg were respected, but once he was exiled, Mexicans played around with the leg in a “disrespectful manner” in which Santa Anna felt betrayed. When the U.S declared war, Santa Anna led the troops in the Mexican American War in which caused a great loss of Mexican territory to the U.S. Because of this reason was how he gained the hatred of Mexican individuals and led them to lose respect and honor for his leg. Santa Anna stands out from all other leaders because he was president 11 times, he was a dictator, he had the ability to raise an army quickly, and was present when his country needed him (and when they didn't need him). The people of Mexico had mixed feelings over him at first because he was viewed as a great leader to some but, he kept letting them down by losing wars and taking away money from public funds. Eventually, Mexicans grew tired of him and wanted a leader they could depend on and trust.
    On the contrary, Benito Juarez was a leader that made a positive impact to Mexican history.

Benito Juárez was the first Mexican leader who did not have a military background, and was also the first Mexican President to be 100% indigenous. Juarez resisted against the French, overthrew their Empire, and restored the Republic, as well as tried to modernize the country, he was and is still seen as Mexico's greatest and most beloved leader. Mexicans, to show their appreciation for him named several towns, schools, parks, streets and monuments to honor him. Also, According to “The Triumph of the Republic”, Juarez issued a proclamation to the Mexican people in which celebrated the nation’s will to survive the darkest night in its history, becoming a national icon. The proclamation also signaled Juarez’s determination to transcend the conflict between Liberals and Conservatives. Overall, Benito did not harm the Mexican republic, like Santa Anna did, but did want to serve another presidential term in which Porfirio Diaz disliked the

idea.
    Furthermore, Porfirio Diaz was another leader that impacted Mexican history but received negative emotions from the Mexican people.

He was part of the War of the Reform and the second French intervention. According to “Porfirio Diaz’s political vision”, Diaz denounced Benito Juarez for returning to power and criticized the corruption of Mexican Institutions for choosing Juarez to be president again, despite what the Constitution stated.. Diaz didn't win against this claim to abolish reelection of presidents so he retreated to Veracruz where he came into power and created the “Plan of Noria”. While Diaz and his allies brought stability in decades of conflict, he and his allies grew unpopular due to civil repression and political stagnation. This was because his economic policies benefited his circle of allies as well as foreign investors, and helped other wealthy individuals  acquire large land areas where the poor people living in these areas were unable to make a living. After Díaz won his last term in office, Francisco I. Madero, his opponent, arranged a rebellion against Díaz, leading to the Mexican Revolution. After Diaz’s troops suffered many military defeats against Madero's forces, Díaz was forced to resign and go into exile in France, where he died four years later. Diaz, compared to Juarez, was a dictator, in which he was selfish and only cared about himself and his allies. Even though he provided stability for the Mexican Empire and defeated the French invaders

in the Battle of Puebla, Mexicans disliked his way of ruling.
    Lastly, Maximilian was another Mexican leader that received mixed emotions from the Mexican people. According to “A Letter from Mexico”, Carlotta, Maximilian’s wife, talks about the Indigenous people inferiorly, diminishes them, and views them as animals almost. Maximilian and Carlotta did not bother to learn the culture or try to connect with the people they were ruling for. Even so, Maximilian still decided to fight for what was right, and even though he knew he was going to be killed,  he did not try to escape his fate. He caused many Mexican deaths which caused Benito Juarez to void mercy on him in order to send a message to other foreigners that try to mess with Mexican territory. The only reason why Maximilian was offered to be the Emperor of Mexico was because of his royalty and the belief that he was born with leadership skills. This proved to be right and in the end, Maximilian’s body was embalmed into a clear casket, as shown in Image 4, where he is praised by his genuine desire to help the people of Mexico.
    In the end, there’s always two side of the story when it comes to the portrayal of leadership in presidents, royal descendants, or just regular individuals. While Porfirio Diaz and Santa Anna are negatively viewed by Mexicans, Benito Juarez and Maximilian I are honored for their efforts to help the Mexican Empire. Even though all of them had their ups and downs, Juarez and Maximilian tried to make up for their “downs” with the ability to compensate it with leadership, trust, and loyalty to the Mexican people. Honestly, every individual makes mistakes, but what really makes an individual stand out from the rest is how they respond and act from their mistakes and the positive impact they influence to others.