Battle of Azcapotzalco

Last updated
Battle of Azcapotzalco
Part of Mexican War of Independence
Monumento en Azcapotzalco.PNG
Memorial of the Battle in Azcapotzalco
DateAugust 19, 1821
Location
Result Decisive Army of the Three Guarantees victory.
Belligerents
First flag of the Mexican Empire.svg Trigarante Army Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg Spanish Empire
Commanders and leaders
Luis Quintanar
Anastasio Bustamante
Manuel de la Concha
Strength
16,000 3,000

The Battle of Azcapotzalco, (Spanish: Batalla de Azcapotzalco), was fought on August 19, 1821, in the town of Azcapotzalco, near Mexico City. It was to be the last major and decisive military action of the Mexican War of Independence. The insurgents, commanded by the colonels Anastasio Bustamante and Luis Quintanar, defeated the Spanish forces commanded by Manuel de la Concha.

Contents

Prelude

By August 1821, The Army of the Three Guarantees, led by Agustin de Iturbide, had control of the majority of towns and important cities of New Spain, leaving only the royalist bastions of Mexico City and the port of Veracruz. Mexico City as capital of the Viceroyalty of New Spain was the key point for ending the 11 year Mexican War of Independence. The Army of the Three Guarantees had surrounded the periphery of the city and the royalist forces were forced into Tacuba (today Miguel Hidalgo) and the old Hacienda of Clavería.

Battle

Before the battle Agustín de Iturbide went to Córdoba to have a meeting with the Political Superior Chief, [Note 1] Juan O'Donojú, he left command of the troops around Mexico City to Luis Quintanar and Anastasio Bustamante. Bustamante successfully occupied the Haciendas of Cristo and Careaga, (today known as Rosario and Molino de la Hacienda Santa Mónica) and from there he took the next step into Mexico City. On 19 August 1821, the insurgent, Nicolas Acosta, entered Azcapotzalco and took over the Rosario bridge with the purpose of attacking the royalist forces. The attack began in the middle of a rainstorm. As soon as the battle began, the royalist general Manuel de la Concha went to his headquarters in Tacubaya for reinforcements.

The insurgents retired to Azcapotzalco, sending troops to the Hacienda of Careaga. General Concha followed and tried to force them to face him in Azcapotzalco. When the royalist forces arrived, the insurgent forces attacked them in the vestibule and the ceilings of the Convent of the Dominicos. The combat continued until 11 am and stopped when the insurgent ammunition ran out.

Anastasio Bustamante ordered a cannon placed at the entrance of the town but it was unfruitful and he decided to retreat. The famous insurgent soldier Encarnación Ortiz also known as El Pachondo tried to rescue the artillery but was shot and killed. The act inflamed the insurgents who assaulted the vestibule, facing the royalist forces hand-to-hand, defeating them and forcing them to flee to the Rosario Bridge. [1] [2]

Aftermath

The victory by the insurgent forces of the Army of the Three Guarantees forced the royalists to leave the Haciendas of Clavería, Tacuba, Popotla and San Jacinto. Days later independence was granted. The victory of the insurgents in the last battle of the war cleared the way to Mexico City which was finally taken by the insurgents on 27 September 1821, ending the long Mexican War of Independence.

Valentin Canalizo also fought in this battle. He, like Anastasio Bustamante, would later become President of Mexico.

Notes

  1. The Political Superior Chief (Spanish: Jefe Político Superior) was the name given in the Constitution of Cadiz of 1812, to the highest political and administrative officer of the provinces in which the Spanish territories were divided, both in Europe and overseas. According with the new constitutional system, the Viceroyalty of New Spain and the other kingdoms in the Americas ceased to exist and were divided in juridical equal provinces ruled by a Political Superior Chief appointed by the King of Spain and a provincial council. In the Mexican history the five political chiefs of New Spain are also known as Viceroys.

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agustín de Iturbide</span> Mexican army general and politician, 1st emperor of Mexico

Agustín de Iturbide, full name Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Arámburu and also known as Agustín of Mexico, was a Mexican army general and politician. During the Mexican War of Independence, he built a successful political and military coalition that took control in Mexico City on 27 September 1821, decisively gaining independence for Mexico. After securing the secession of Mexico from Spain, Iturbide was proclaimed president of the Regency in 1821; a year later, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico, reigning briefly from 19 May 1822 to 19 March 1823. In May 1823 he went into exile in Europe. When he returned to Mexico in July 1824, he was arrested and executed. He designed the Mexican flag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guadalupe Victoria</span> President of Mexico from 1824 to 1829

Guadalupe Victoria, born José Miguel Ramón Adaucto Fernández y Félix, was a Mexican general and political leader who fought for independence against the Spanish Empire in the Mexican War of Independence. He was a deputy in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies for Durango and a member of the Supreme Executive Power following the downfall of the First Mexican Empire. After the adoption of the Constitution of 1824, Victoria was elected as the first president of the United Mexican States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicente Guerrero</span> President of Mexico in 1829

Vicente Ramón Guerrero was one of the leading revolutionary generals of the Mexican War of Independence. He fought against Spain for independence in the early 19th century, and later served as the second president of Mexico. He abolished slavery on a national level during his brief term as president. Guerrero was deposed in a rebellion under Vice-President Anastasio Bustamante.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azcapotzalco</span> Borough in Mexico City, Mexico

Azcapotzalco is a borough in Mexico City. Azcapotzalco is in the northwestern part of Mexico City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexican War of Independence</span> Armed conflict which ended the rule of Spain in the territory of New Spain

The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from Spain. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional struggles that occurred within the same period, and can be considered a revolutionary civil war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrés Quintana Roo</span> Mexican politician

Andrés Eligio Quintana Roo was a Mexican liberal politician, lawyer, and author. He was the husband of fellow independence activist Leona Vicario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nueva Vizcaya, New Spain</span>

Nueva Vizcaya was the first province in the north of New Spain to be explored and settled by the Spanish. It consisted mostly of the area which is today the states of Chihuahua and Durango and the southwest of Coahuila in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army of the Three Guarantees</span> Insurgent army which established Mexican independence from Spain in 1821

At the end of the Mexican War of Independence, the Army of the Three Guarantees 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, consolidating Mexico's independence from Spain. The decree creating this army appeared in the Plan de Iguala, which stated the three guarantees which it was meant to defend: religion, independence, and unity. Mexico was to be a Catholic empire, independent from Spain, and united against its enemies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan O'Donojú</span> Spanish general and colonial governor (1762–1821)

Juan de O'Donojú y O'Ryan was a Spanish-Irish military officer, diplomat and "Jefe Político Superior" ("viceroy") of New Spain from 21 July 1821 to 28 September 1821 during the Mexican War of Independence. He was the last Spanish viceroy of New Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anastasio Bustamante</span> President of Mexico from 1830 to 1832

Anastasio Bustamante y Oseguera was a Mexican physician, general, and politician who served as president of Mexico three times. He participated in the Mexican War of Independence initially as a royalist before siding with Agustín de Iturbide and supporting the Plan of Iguala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luis de Quintanar</span> Mexican politician

José Luis de Quintanar Soto y Ruiz was a Royalist military officer in colonial New Spain, and a politician after the 1821 independence of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabino Gaínza</span>

Gabino or Gavino Gaínza y Fernández de Medrano was a Spanish military officer and politician in Spain's American colonies. During the Latin American wars of independence, he initially fought on the royalist side, in Chile. Later, in Guatemala, he supported independence and became the first president of a united Central America extending from Soconusco through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Lomas de Santa María</span>

The Battle of Lomas de Santa María was a battle of the War of Mexican Independence that occurred from 23–24 December 1813 in the area around Lomas de Santa María, in the municipality of Valladolid. The battle was fought between the royalist forces loyal to the Spanish crown and the Mexican rebels fighting for independence from the Spanish Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Zitácuaro</span>

The Battle of Zitácuaro was a battle of the War of Mexican Independence that occurred on 2 January 1812 in the area around Zitácuaro, Michoacán. The battle was fought between the royalist forces loyal to the Spanish crown and the Mexican rebels fighting for independence from the Spanish Empire. The Mexican insurgents were commanded by General Ignacio López Rayón and the Spanish by Félix María Calleja. The battle resulted in a victory for the Spanish Royalists even in the face of overwhelming odds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Tenancingo</span>

The Battle of Tenancingo was a military action of the Mexican War of Independence fought on 22 January 1812 on the outskirts of Tenancingo de Degollado, Mexico. The battle was fought between the royalist forces loyal to the Spanish crown and the Mexican rebels fighting for independence from the Spanish Empire. The Mexican insurgents were commanded by General José María Morelos y Pavón and the Spanish by Rosendo Porlier y Asteguieta. The battle resulted in a victory for the Mexican rebels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Huajuapan de León</span>

El Siege of Huajuapan de León was a battle of the Mexican War of Independence that was fought from 5 April to 23 July 1812 at Huajuapan de León, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. The battle was fought between the royalist forces loyal to the Spanish crown, and the Mexican rebels fighting for independence from the Spanish Empire. This Spanish siege of the town, lasting 111 days, was the longest of the entire war. The battle resulted in a victory for the Mexican insurgents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Cuautla</span> 1812 battle of the Mexican War of Independence

The siege of Cuautla was a battle of the War of Mexican Independence that occurred from 19 February through 2 May 1812 at Cuautla, Morelos. The Spanish royalist forces loyal to the Spanish, commanded by Félix María Calleja, besieged the town of Cuautla and its Mexican rebel defenders fighting for independence from the Spanish Empire. The rebels were commanded by José María Morelos y Pavón, Hermenegildo Galeana, and Mariano Matamoros. The battle results are disputed, but it is generally agreed that the battle resulted more favorably for the Spanish whose siege was ultimately successful with the Mexican withdrawal on 2 May 1812.

D. Manuel de Ordiera was a Mexican caudillo and military officer serving in the armies of the Viceroyalty of New Spain and for the Mexican rebels during the Mexican War of Independence. He is perhaps best known for his command of besieged Mexican forces during the Siege of Cuautla in 1812 at which time he was a captain.

Manuel de la Concha was a Spanish commissioned officer of the military forces under Félix María Calleja del Rey Bruder Losada Campaño y Montero de Espinosa, Viceroy of New Spain; his rank was Colonel. In 1815 Manuel de la Concha apprehended insurgent General José María Morelos y Pavón.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embrace of Acatempan</span> Event in Mexican history

The embrace of Acatempan refers to an event in Mexican history in which Agustín de Iturbide, commander-in-chief of the military of southern New Spain, and Vicente Guerrero, leader of the forces fighting for Mexican Independence, participated. This event took place on February 10, 1821. Tradition has it that this event marked the reconciliation between the viceregal forces and the insurgent army.

References

  1. Zárate, 1880; 742-743
  2. "Recuerdan la última batalla por la Independencia de México en Azcapotzalco" (in Spanish). Retrieved August 22, 2011.