Jesús García Corona was a 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...

 railroad engineer

Railroad engineer

A railroad engineer, locomotive engineer, train operator, train driver or engine driver is a person who drives a train on a railroad...

 who was killed trying to keep a train loaded with dynamite from exploding near Nacozari de García

Nacozari de García

Nacozari de García is a small mining town surrounded by its municipal area in the northeast of the Mexican state of Sonora.-Area and population:...

, Sonora

Sonora

Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....

, in 1907. As el héroe de Nacozari he is revered as a national hero

Folk hero

A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...

 and many streets, plazas, and schools across Mexico are named for him.

García was born in Hermosillo, Sonora. In 1898 his family moved to Nacozari, where his father worked as a blacksmith

Blacksmith

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...

. García, too, learned the trade, and at the age of 17 got a job with Moctezuma Copper Company, but due to his age, he was made a waterboy. He was promoted to switchman

Railroad switch

A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....

, then to brakeman

Brakeman

A brakeman is a rail transport worker whose original job it was to assist the braking of a train by applying brakes on individual wagons. The advent of through brakes on trains made this role redundant, although the name lives on in the United States where brakemen carry out a variety of functions...

, and finally to fireman. By the age of twenty he was machine engineer.

Jesús García was the railroad engineer for the train that covered the line between Nacozari, Sonora, and Douglas, Arizona

Douglas, Arizona

Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. Douglas has a border crossing with Mexico and a history of mining.The population was 14,312 at the 2000 census...

. On 7 November 1907 the train was stopped in the town and, as he was resting, he saw that some hay on the roof of a car containing dynamite had caught fire. The cause of the fire was that the locomotive's firebox was failing and sparks were going out from the smokestack. The wind blew them and got into the dynamite cars. García drove the train at full-steam six kilometers out of the town before the dynamite exploded, killing him and 12 other railwaymen and bystanders, but sparing the population of the mining town. Jesús told the fireman to jump off the train and the man survived.

In his honor a statue was raised and the name of the town of Nacozari was changed to Nacozari de García. He was declared Hero of Humanity by the American Red Cross

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...

, many streets in Mexico carry his name, and the Estadio Héroe de Nacozari

Estadio Héroe de Nacozari

Estadio Héroe de Nacozari is a multi-use stadium in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of the Buhos de Hermosillo of the Segunda División...

 sports stadium in Hermosillo

Hermosillo

Hermosillo is a city and municipality located centrally in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the capital and main economic center for the state and region. It contains almost all of the state's manufacturing and has thirty percent of its population...

 is also named after him. García's sacrifice is remembered in the corrido

Corrido

The corrido is a popular narrative song and poetry form, a ballad, of Mexico. The songs are often about oppression, history, daily life for peasants, and other socially important information. It is still a popular form today, and was widely popular during the Mexican Revolution and Nicaraguan...

"Máquina 501"("Locomotive 501", although the real number was #2), sung by Pancho "el Charro" Avitia, and Mexican railroad workers commemorate 7 November every year as the Día del Ferrocarrilero.

The song in free translation:

LOCOMOTIVE 501 (Corrido)

Five -0- one locomotive

which ran thru Sonora land,

and of the railroad switchmen

who does not sigh, he cries

It was a Sunday, gentlemen,

at about three o'clock,

and the young Jesus Garcia

caressing her mother was

-"Within just a few moments

mother I have to depart,

I see my future is coming

for the train whistle is heard,

When he arrived at the station

a train was whistling already

and a car with dynamite

was already set afire

The fireman then says to him:

"Jesus, lets take down at once

look that the car behind us

comes burning in fire ablaze"

"I have a whole different thought"

Then Jesús Garcia replied:

"I do not want to be the cause

For many people to die"

So he turned back his engine

because it was uphill road

and by kilometer six

he went to the hands of God

Since that unforgettable day

You have won the glory cross,

You have won the honor laurel,

You are a hero, Jesús.

Five -0- one locomotive

which ran through Sonora,

and of the railroad switchmen

who does not sigh, cries