dia de los Niños Héroes

The Day of the Niños Héroes
13 September
Back on 13 September 1847, the following teenagers gave their lives defending their Country. 
Juan de la Barrera 
Juan Escutia 
Francisco Márquez 
Agustín Melgar 
Fernando Montes de Oca 
Vicente Suárez 
all between the ages 13 and 17.

Today, in Mexico, they are remembered!
These young men were cadets at the military college located at Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City.  They lost their lives defending the Castle from the invading American forces.  
It was former American President James Polk's efforts to expand that lead to the Mexican-American War, which went from March 8, 1846 to February 1848.  America wanted the Mexican provinces of California, New Mexico and, if possible Chihuahua.
The invading American forces took over the Castle at Chapultepec and made ​​prisoners by General Nicolas Bravo, Mariano Monterde the director of the College, and several students.
In February of 1848 the agreement, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, was signed, thus ending the war in which Mexico lost half it's  territory to American aggression.
the white area is what America acquired as a result of the Mexican-American war. - map lifted  from   http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorri37/4565201676/
wikipedia offers a short biography on the young cadets that are honored today


  1. When Texas entered the union as a state, war with Mexico was all but inevitable, and the result of that war was not certain. If the Mexican generals had been better at their jobs, Salt Lake City could have been part of Mexico.

  2. Nice post. I think it's really great that Mexico honors its heroes with (usually) lots of pomp and ceremony. I remember the days when the USA did the same. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen too much anymore. I guess it wold be considered "politically incorrect" to do so.