Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor
Encyclopedia
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Medalla de Honor "Belisario Domínguez" del Senado de la República) is the highest award bestowed by the Mexican government. The award has been given every year since 1954 by the Senate of Mexico
Senate of Mexico
The Senate of the Republic, constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union After a series of reforms during the 1990s, it is now made up of 128 senators:...
to eminent Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
s with a distinguished lifetime career who contributed most "toward the welfare of the Nation and mankind".
Only Mexican entities representing "the cultural spirit of the time" are allowed to submit nominations for this award. This provision typically allows universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
, newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s, learned societies
Learned society
A learned society is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline/profession, as well a group of disciplines. Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election, as is the case with the oldest learned societies,...
, non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s and government entities to nominate candidates.
Background
The award is named after politician Belisario DomínguezBelisario Domínguez
Belisario Domínguez Palencia was a Mexican physician and liberal politician. He served as senator and gave a memorable speech in the Congress against the dictator Victoriano Huerta, for which he was murdered.Domínguez was born to Cleofas Domínguez and María del Pilar Palencia...
(1863-1913). Domínguez was a Senator for the state
States of Mexico
The United Mexican States is a federal republic formed by 32 federal entities .According to the Constitution of 1917, the states of the federation are free and sovereign. Each state has their own congress and constitution, while the Federal District has only limited autonomy with a local Congress...
of Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
at the time of the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
. After Victoriano Huerta
Victoriano Huerta
José Victoriano Huerta Márquez was a Mexican military officer and president of Mexico. Huerta's supporters were known as Huertistas during the Mexican Revolution...
's coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
, which ousted President
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
Francisco I. Madero
Francisco I. Madero
Francisco Ignacio Madero González was a politician, writer and revolutionary who served as President of Mexico from 1911 to 1913. As a respectable upper-class politician, he supplied a center around which opposition to the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz could coalesce...
, Domínguez circulated a speech as a letter to fellow members of congress in which he denounced Huerta's actions and encouraged Congress to depose him. At the end of his letter he also encouraged readers to make copies of it and distribute them around the country. The speech was not taken well in Huerta's circles and Domínguez was assassinated a few days later, on October 7, 1913.
In 1953 President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines
Adolfo Ruiz Cortines
Adolfo Ruiz Cortines was President of Mexico from 1952 to 1958, representing the Institutional Revolutionary Party he was one of the oldest presidents of Mexico...
signed the decree establishing the award in remembrance of this "martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
". That same year the Senate decided to bestow the first medal on the bust
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
of Belisario Domínguez that already existed in the Senate Chamber as a symbolic act. It is for this reason that the medal was awarded twice in 1954.
Description
The Order consists of a single class and is awarded to a single recipient during a solemn ceremony in the Senate Chamber on October 7. A goldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
medal hanging from a silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
ribbon with the colors of the Mexican flag
Flag of Mexico
The flag of Mexico is a vertical tricolor of green, white, and red with the national coat of arms charged in the center of the white stripe. While the meaning of the colors has changed over time, these three colors were adopted by Mexico following independence from Spain during the country's War...
is given together with a diploma signed by the President of the Republic and the leader of the Senate.
The medal has the national coat of arms
Coat of arms of Mexico
The current coat of arms of Mexico has been an important symbol of Mexican politics and culture for centuries. The coat of arms depicts a Mexican Golden Eagle perched upon a prickly pear cactus devouring a snake. To the people of Tenochtitlan this would have strong religious connotations, but to...
on one side together with the inscription "Estados Unidos Mexicanos, H. Cámara de Senadores 1952-1958" ("United Mexican States, Honourable Chamber of Senators 1952-1958"). The reverse side of the medal has an image of Domínguez' bust together with the inscription "Ennobleció a la Patria, 7 de octubre de 1913" ("Ennobled the Nation, October 7, 1913").
Recipients
The following is a complete list of people who have been recipients of the Belisario Domínguez Medal. Note that 1954 was the only year the medal has been awarded twice.- 1954 – Rosaura ZapataRosaura ZapataRosaura Zapata was a Mexican educator who helped to found the national system of education. She received Mexico's highest national honor when it was inaugurated in 1954, the Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor.-External links:...
- 1954 – Erasmo Castellanos Quinto
- 1955 – Esteban Baca Calderón
- 1956 – Gerardo Murillo, "Dr. AtlDr. AtlGerardo Murillo was a Mexican painter and writer who signed his works "Dr. Atl". He was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, where he began the study of painting at an early age, under Felipe Castro...
" - 1957 – Roque Estrada ReynosoRoque Estrada ReynosoRoque Estrada Reynoso. Lawyer, journalist, writer. Born in Moyahua, Zacatecas on August 16, 1883. His parents were Camilo Estrada Reynoso and Micaela. His younger brother was Enrique Estrada. He organized workers in a socialist party in Guadalajara in 1904. He completed his law degree at the...
- 1958 – Antonio Díaz Soto y GamaAntonio Díaz Soto y GamaAntonio Diaz Soto y Gama was a revolutionary during the Mexican Revolution and Mexican politician.His parents were Conrad Diaz Soto y Gama and Dona Concepcion Cruz...
- 1959 – Heriberto Jara CoronaHeriberto Jara CoronaGeneral Heriberto Jara Corona was a Mexican revolutionary and politician who served as Governor of Veracruz.Heriberto Jara was born in the town of Nogales, in the state of Veracruz, to Emilio Jara Andrade and María del Carmen Corona...
- 1960 – Isidro FabelaIsidro FabelaIsidro Fabela Alfaro was a Mexican judge, politician, professor, writer, publisher, governor of the State of Mexico, and delegate to the now defunct League of Nations...
- 1961 – José Inocente LugoJosé Inocente LugoJosé Inocente Lugo was a Mexican lawyer and politician....
- 1962 – Aurelio Manrique Jr.
- 1963 – María Hernández Zarco
- 1964 – Adrián Aguirre Benavides
- 1965 – Plácido Cruz Ríos
- 1966 – Ramón F. Iturbe
- 1967 – Francisco L. Urquizo
- 1968 – Miguel Angel Cevallos
- 1969 – María Cámara Vales, Vda. de Pino SuárezJosé María Pino SuárezJosé María Pino Suárez was a Mexican statesman, revolutionary, poet, journalist and jurist who served as Vice President of Mexico , Secreatry of Education and Governor of Yucatán...
- 1970 – Rosendo Salazar
- 1971 – Jaime Torres BodetJaime Torres BodetJaime Torres Bodet was a prominent Mexican politician and writer who served in the executive cabinet of three Presidents of Mexico....
- 1972 – Ignacio Ramos Praslow
- 1973 – Pablo E. Macías Valenzuela
- 1974 – Rafael de la Colina Riquelme
- 1975 – Ignacio Chávez SánchezIgnacio Chávez SánchezDr. Ignacio Chávez Sánchez was a prominent Mexican physician.-Education and professional career:...
- 1976 – Jesús Romero Flores
- 1977 – Juan de Dios Bátiz Peredes
- 1978 – Gustavo Baz Prada
- 1979 – Fidel Velázquez SánchezFidel Velázquez SánchezFidel Velázquez Sánchez was the preeminent Mexican union leader of the 20th century. In 1936 he was one of the original founders, along with Vicente Lombardo Toledano, of the Confederation of Mexican Workers , the national labor federation most closely associated with the ruling party, the...
- 1980 – Luis Padilla NervoLuis Padilla NervoLuis Padilla Nervo , Mexican politician and diplomat. He was the first Mexican Ambassador at the United Nations, Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the Sixth Session of United Nations General Assembly.- Biography :He studied Law at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, also he had...
- 1981 – Luis Alvarez Barret
- 1982 – GenGeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
. Raúl Madero González - 1983 – Jesús Silva HerzogJesús Silva HerzogJesús Silva Herzog Flores is a Mexican economist and politician affiliated to the Institutional Revolutionary Party...
- 1984 – Salomón González Blanco
- 1985 – María Lavalle UrbinaMaría Lavalle UrbinaMaría Lavalle Urbina was a Mexican lawyer and politician who served as the first female president of the Mexican Senate.-Education and professional career:...
- 1986 – Salvador ZubiránSalvador ZubiranSalvador Zubirán Anchondo was one of Mexico's most prominent physicians and nutritionists.-Biography:...
- 1987 – Eduardo García MaynezEduardo García MáynezEduardo García Máynez was a Mexican jurist....
- 1988 – Rufino TamayoRufino TamayoRufino Tamayo was a Mexican painter of Zapotec heritage, born in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico. Tamayo was active in the mid-20th century in Mexico and New York, painting figurative abstraction with surrealist influences....
- 1989 – Raúl Castellano Jiménez
- 1990 – Andrés Serra Rojas
- 1991 – Gonzalo Aguirre BeltránGonzalo Aguirre BeltránGonzalo Aguirre Beltrán was a Mexican anthropologist known for his studies of marginal populations. His work has focused on Afro-Mexican populations...
- 1992 – Ramón G. Bonfil
- 1993 – Andrés Henestrosa Morales
- 1994 – Jaime Sabines Gutiérrez
- 1995 – Miguel León Portilla
- 1996 – Griselda Alvarez Ponce de León
- 1997 – Heberto Castillo Martínez
- 1998 – José Angel Conchello Dávila
- 1999 – Carlos FuentesCarlos FuentesCarlos Fuentes Macías is a Mexican writer and one of the best-known living novelists and essayists in the Spanish-speaking world. He has influenced contemporary Latin American literature, and his works have been widely translated into English and other languages.-Biography:Fuentes was born in...
- 2000 – Leopoldo Zea AguilarLeopoldo Zea AguilarLeopoldo Zea was a Mexican philosopher.One of the integral Latin Americanism thinkers in history, Zea became famous thanks to his master's thesis, El Positivismo en México , with which he applied and studied positivism in the context of his country and the world during the...
- 2001 – José Ezequiel Iturriaga Sauco
- 2002 – Héctor Fix Zamudio
- 2003 – Luis González y González
- 2004 – Carlos Canseco GonzálezCarlos CansecoDr. Carlos Canseco González was a Mexican physician and philanthropist. In January 2002 he was honored as one of the "Public Health Heroes of the Americas" by the Pan American Health Organization.Carlos Canseco graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico with a doctorate in...
- 2005 – Gilberto Borja Navarrete
- 2006 – Jesús Kumate Rodríguez
- 2007 – Carlos Castillo PerazaCarlos Castillo PerazaCarlos Enrique Castillo Peraza was an intellectual, journalist and Mexican politician, Member of the National Action Party of which he was the 15th President from 1993 to 1996....
(post mortem) - 2008 – Miguel Ángel Granados ChapaMiguel Ángel Granados ChapaMiguel Ángel Granados Chapa , was a Mexican journalist writing for the Reforma newspaper. He was the recipient of the Premio Nacional de Periodismo in 2004 for his career, and again in 2006 for his column...
- 2009 – Antonio Ortiz MenaAntonio Ortiz MenaAntonio Ortiz Mena was a Mexican economist who served as President of the Inter-American Development Bank and as Mexico's Secretary of Finance during the administrations of Adolfo López Mateos and Gustavo Díaz Ordaz .According to Pedro Aspe —who served as Secretary of Finance almost two decades...
(post mortem)