Benito Juarez
Despite the blunder and poor judgement of his later years, Benito Juarez ranks among Mexico's greatest national heroes. He was the towering figure of nineteenth-century Mexican politics, and his maxim "El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz" - the respect of the rights of others is peace - has been a rallying cry for liberals ever since. A Zapotec , he strove against nineteenth-century social prejudices and, through four terms as president, successfully reformed many of the worst social remnants of Spanish colonialism, earning a reputation for honesty and fair dealing. Juarez was born outside the city, at San Pablo Guelatao, in 1806. His parents died when he was three, and he grew up speaking only Zapotec; at the age of twelve he was adopted by priests and moved to Oaxaca, where he was educated. Turning his talents to law, he provided his legal services free to impoverished villagers, and by 1831 had earned a seat on Oaxaca's municipal council, lending voice to a disenfranchised people. Juarez rose through the ranks of the city council to become state governor from 1847 to 1852, on a liberal ticket geared towards improving education and releasing the country from the economic and social stranglehold of the Church and the aristocracy. In 1853 the election of a conservative government under Santa Ana forced him into eighteen months of exile in the USA. Liberal victory in 1855 enabled Juarez to return to Mexico as minister of justice and lend his name to a law abolishing special courts for the military and clergy. His support was instrumental in passing the Ley Lerdo , which effectively nationalized the Church's huge holdings, and bills legalizing civil marriage and guaranteeing religious freedom. In 1858, President Ignacio Comonfort was ousted by conservatives enraged by these reforms, and Juarez, as the head of the Supreme Court, had a legal claim to the presidency. However, he lacked the military might to hold Mexico City and retired to Veracruz, returning three years later, victorious in the War of Reform, as constitutionally elected president for further attempts to reduce the power of the Church. Hog-tied by an intractable Congress and empty coffers, Juarez suspended all debt repayments for two years from July 1861. To protect their investments, the British, Spanish and French sent their armies in, but when it became apparent that Napoleon III had designs on control of Mexico, the others pulled out, leaving France to install Hapsburg Archduke Maximilian as puppet emperor. Juarez fled again, this time to Ciudad Juarez on the US border, but by 1867 Napoleon III had buckled under Mexican resistance and US pressure, and Juarez was able to return to the capital and his army to round up and execute the hapless Maximilian. Juarez was returned as president at the 1867 elections but alienated much of his support by unconstitutional attempts to use Congress to amend the constitution. Nevertheless, he was able to secure another term in the 1870 elections, spending two more years trying unsuccessfully to maintain peace before dying of a heart attack in 1872
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