José Mariano Jiménez
Encyclopedia
José Mariano Jiménez was a Mexican
engineer and rebel officer
active at the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence
.
Mariano Jiménez was born in San Luis Potosí
. He studied in the Colegio de Minería in Mexico City
to become a mining engineer. He graduated in 1804. He soon moved to Guanajuato
, where he was able to follow the progress of the conspiracy led by Miguel Hidalgo
that aimed to achieve the independence of Mexico from Spain
. A few days after the war started, Jiménez joined Hidalgo's army and was able to rise quickly in rank until he achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel
.
He distinguished himself on the battlefield, such as during the Battle of Monte de las Cruces
where his positioning of the artillery
line was instrumental for the rebel victory. He was a very active officer and participated in the defense of Guadalajara
and San Luis Potosí.
A betrayal by one of his subordinates led to his capture at the Wells of Baján (Norias de Baján) in Chihuahua in 1811. He was tried for insubordination and executed by firing squad on June 26, 1811, together with other members of the insurgency such as Ignacio Allende
and Juan Aldama
in Chihuahua
.
Jiménez's body was decapitated and his head taken to the Alhóndiga de Granaditas
, where it was shown to the public inside a cage hung from one corner of the building. In 1925, his remains were moved to the mausoleum in the Independence Column
in Mexico City.
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...
engineer and rebel officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
active at the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
.
Mariano Jiménez was born in San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí, commonly called SLP or simply San Luis, is the capital of, and most populous city in the Mexican state of the same name. The city lies at an elevation of 1,850 meters...
. He studied in the Colegio de Minería in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
to become a mining engineer. He graduated in 1804. He soon moved to Guanajuato
Guanajuato, Guanajuato
Guanajuato is a city and municipality in central Mexico and the capital of the state of the same name. It is located in a narrow valley, which makes the streets of the city narrow and winding. Most are alleys that cars cannot pass through, and some are long sets of stairs up the mountainsides....
, where he was able to follow the progress of the conspiracy led by Miguel Hidalgo
Miguel Hidalgo
Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor , more commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo, was a Mexican priest and a leader of the Mexican War of Independence.In 1810 Hidalgo led a group of peasants in a revolt against the dominant...
that aimed to achieve the independence of Mexico from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. A few days after the war started, Jiménez joined Hidalgo's army and was able to rise quickly in rank until he achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
.
He distinguished himself on the battlefield, such as during the Battle of Monte de las Cruces
Battle of Monte de las Cruces
The Battle of Monte de las Cruces was one of the pivotal battles of the early Mexican War of Independence. It was fought between the insurgent troops of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and Ignacio Allende against the royalist troops of General Torcuato Trujillo in the Sierra de las Cruces mountains...
where his positioning of the artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
line was instrumental for the rebel victory. He was a very active officer and participated in the defense of Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
and San Luis Potosí.
A betrayal by one of his subordinates led to his capture at the Wells of Baján (Norias de Baján) in Chihuahua in 1811. He was tried for insubordination and executed by firing squad on June 26, 1811, together with other members of the insurgency such as Ignacio Allende
Ignacio Allende
Ignacio José de Allende y Unzaga , born Ignacio Allende y Unzaga, was a captain of the Spanish Army in Mexico who came to sympathize with the Mexican independence movement. He attended the secret meetings organized by Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, where the possibility of an independent New Spain was...
and Juan Aldama
Juan Aldama
Juan Aldama was a Mexican revolutionary rebel soldier during the Mexican War of Independence in 1810. He was also the brother of Ignacio Aldama....
in Chihuahua
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
.
Jiménez's body was decapitated and his head taken to the Alhóndiga de Granaditas
Alhóndiga de Granaditas
The Alhóndiga de Granaditas is an old grain storage building in Guanajuato City, Mexico. This historic building was created to replace an old granary near the city's river. Its construction lasted from 1798 to 1809, by orders of Juan Antonio de Riaño y Bárcena, a Spaniard who was the quartermaster...
, where it was shown to the public inside a cage hung from one corner of the building. In 1925, his remains were moved to the mausoleum in the Independence Column
El Ángel
El Ángel de la Independencia , most commonly known by theshortened name El Ángel and officially known as Columna de la Independencia, is a victory column located on a roundabout over Paseo de la Reforma in downtown Mexico City.El Ángel was built to commemorate the centennial of the beginning of...
in Mexico City.
See also
- Mexican War of IndependenceMexican War of IndependenceThe Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
- Felix María CallejaFélix María Calleja del Rey, 1st Count of CalderónFélix María Calleja del Rey, 1st Count of Calderón was a Spanish military officer and viceroy of New Spain from March 4, 1813, to September 20, 1816, during Mexico's War of Independence.-Before the insurrection of 1810:Captain Calleja del Rey accompanied the Count of Revillagigedo to New Spain in...