Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara
Encyclopedia
Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara was the first constitutional governor of the state of Tamaulipas
, and a native of Revilla, today Ciudad Guerrero
, Mexico
.
was obsessed by the idea of freeing Mexico from Spain
, and began by recruiting and arming twenty men in Texas
. Then together with José Menchaca, he spoke with the Indians and convinced them to fight with him against the Spanish.
After the suppression of an 1811 insurrection in Nuevo Santander
, Gutiérrez de Lara, a strong supporter of the revolutionary movement, traveled to Washington, D.C.
. He can be viewed as the first Mexican diplomat in Washington, D.C.
, since on December 10, 1812 he went to the United States House of Representatives
to request support for the cause of Mexican independence. He was welcomed with much interest, but the United States government could not offer assistance without jeopardizing relations with Spain.
Nevertheless, he managed to raise a private force. In The Herald of Alexandria, Louisiana
on August 31, 1812, he published notice of what he called the “Republicans of Nacogdoches" to recruit volunteers. The troops under Gutiérrez de Lara's command consisted of only 450 men, many of whom were military adventurers
from the United States. He invaded Texas
with this slender force in 1812, taking possession of several cities and driving back the forces of Manuel María de Salcedo
and Simón de Herrera. On April 6, 1813 he declared the independence of Texas
from the kingdom of Spain, and proclaimed the first constitution and declared himself the first president of Texas. Warned of these developments, José Joaquín de Arredondo
, whose forces were quartered in the Valley del Maíz, marched to engage Gutiérrez de Lara, collecting men and material on the way through Nuevo Santander. Colonel Ignacio Elizondo
, sent in advance, allowed himself to be drawn into an engagement, and was totally routed. A few weeks later Arredondo himself defeated the insurgents, now under the command of José Álvarez de Toledo y Dubois
, who had replaced Gutiérrez de Lara. Many prisoners were executed, including all the captured United States citizens, ending all hope of aid from the United States.
After the failure to create an independent Texas, he supported the Spanish general Francisco Javier Mina
in his expedition of 1817 in support of the Spanish Constitution of 1812
, and later accompanied James Long
in his expeditions in 1818 and 1819.
Agustín de Iturbide
, forming a broad coalition under the Plan de Iguala, recognized Bernardo Gutiérrez for his activities in support of Mexican independence. In 1824 he returned to Revilla, and one year later he was made the first constitutional governor
of Tamaulipas. He moved to live in Linares, Nuevo León
with his son José Angel. He later fell ill on a trip to Santiago
and died May 13, 1841. He was buried in the church at Santiago. An accredited Mexican Medical School was founded in his name in 2007.
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
, and a native of Revilla, today Ciudad Guerrero
Nueva Ciudad Guerrero
Nueva Ciudad Guerrero is a city in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It lies on the banks of the Rio Grande / Río Bravo, near the U.S.-Mexico border, opposite to Falcon Heights, Texas. The Lake Falcon Dam International Crossing connects Falcon Heights with Nueva Ciudad Guerrero.It is located in...
, Mexico
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...
.
Biography
Bernardo Gutiérrez de LaraBernardo Gutiérrez de Lara
Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara was the first constitutional governor of the state of Tamaulipas, and a native of Revilla, today Ciudad Guerrero, Mexico.-Biography:...
was obsessed by the idea of freeing 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...
, and began by recruiting and arming twenty men in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Then together with José Menchaca, he spoke with the Indians and convinced them to fight with him against the Spanish.
After the suppression of an 1811 insurrection in Nuevo Santander
Nuevo Santander
Nuevo Santander was a region of the Virreinato de Nueva España, corresponding generally to the modern Mexican state of Tamaulipas and southern Texas. Nuevo Santander was named after Santander, Spain, and settled by Spanish American colonists in a concerted settlement campaign peaking in 1748-1750...
, Gutiérrez de Lara, a strong supporter of the revolutionary movement, traveled to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. He can be viewed as the first Mexican diplomat in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, since on December 10, 1812 he went to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
to request support for the cause of Mexican independence. He was welcomed with much interest, but the United States government could not offer assistance without jeopardizing relations with Spain.
Nevertheless, he managed to raise a private force. In The Herald of Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
on August 31, 1812, he published notice of what he called the “Republicans of Nacogdoches" to recruit volunteers. The troops under Gutiérrez de Lara's command consisted of only 450 men, many of whom were military adventurers
Filibuster (military)
A filibuster, or freebooter, is someone who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country to foment or support a revolution...
from the United States. He invaded Texas
Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition
The Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition was an 1812–13 joint Mexican-American filibustering expedition against Spanish Texas during the early years of the Mexican War of Independence.-Background:...
with this slender force in 1812, taking possession of several cities and driving back the forces of Manuel María de Salcedo
Manuel María de Salcedo
Manuel María de Salcedo y Quiroga , Manuel María de Salcedo y Quiroga , Manuel María de Salcedo y Quiroga , (Malaga, Spain, (1776 - executed, 3 April 1813), was a governor of Spanish Texas from 1808 until his execution in 1813. Salcedo gained leadership experience helping his father Juan Manuel de...
and Simón de Herrera. On April 6, 1813 he declared the independence of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
from the kingdom of Spain, and proclaimed the first constitution and declared himself the first president of Texas. Warned of these developments, José Joaquín de Arredondo
Jose Joaquín de Arredondo
Joaquín de Arredondo y Mioño was a 19th-century Spanish–Mexican soldier who served as Chief Civil and Military Commandant of Texas during the first Texas revolution.-Early life:...
, whose forces were quartered in the Valley del Maíz, marched to engage Gutiérrez de Lara, collecting men and material on the way through Nuevo Santander. Colonel Ignacio Elizondo
Ignacio Elizondo
Francisco Ignacio Elizondo Villarreal, , was a New Leonese royalist general, mostly known for his victorious plot to seek to capture important insurgency precursors of the Mexican War of Independence such as Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende, and Juan Aldama in Baján, Coahuila in...
, sent in advance, allowed himself to be drawn into an engagement, and was totally routed. A few weeks later Arredondo himself defeated the insurgents, now under the command of José Álvarez de Toledo y Dubois
José Álvarez de Toledo y Dubois
José Álvarez de Toledo y Dubois was a politician and leader of a military force against Spanish rule in Texas.Toledo was born in Havana, Cuba. His father, Luis de Toledo y Liche was a native of Seville, Spain. He was educated at the Escuela Naval de Cádiz and then joined the Spanish Navy in 1806...
, who had replaced Gutiérrez de Lara. Many prisoners were executed, including all the captured United States citizens, ending all hope of aid from the United States.
After the failure to create an independent Texas, he supported the Spanish general Francisco Javier Mina
Francisco Javier Mina
Francisco Javier Mina was a Spanish lawyer and army officer and a Mexican revolutionary.-Biography:...
in his expedition of 1817 in support of the Spanish Constitution of 1812
Spanish Constitution of 1812
The Spanish Constitution of 1812 was promulgated 19 March 1812 by the Cádiz Cortes, the national legislative assembly of Spain, while in refuge from the Peninsular War...
, and later accompanied James Long
James Long
James Long may refer to:* James Long , filibuster in Spanish and Mexican Texas* James E. Long, current North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance* James Long , Australian Senator...
in his expeditions in 1818 and 1819.
Agustín de Iturbide
Agustín de Iturbide
Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Aramburu , also known as Augustine I of Mexico, was a Mexican army general who built a successful political and military coalition that was able to march into Mexico City on 27 September 1821, decisively ending the Mexican War of Independence...
, forming a broad coalition under the Plan de Iguala, recognized Bernardo Gutiérrez for his activities in support of Mexican independence. In 1824 he returned to Revilla, and one year later he was made the first constitutional governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Tamaulipas. He moved to live in Linares, Nuevo León
Linares, Nuevo León
Linares is a small city in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. The city serves as the administrative centre for the surrounding municipality of the same name and it is the largest urban centre of the so called "orange belt" region. The city had a 2005 census population of 56,065, while the...
with his son José Angel. He later fell ill on a trip to Santiago
Santiago, Nuevo León
Santiago is a municipality located in the center of the Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is part of the Monterrey metropolitan area and its area comprises around 763.8 km² . According to the 2005 census, its population is 37,886 inhabitants ....
and died May 13, 1841. He was buried in the church at Santiago. An accredited Mexican Medical School was founded in his name in 2007.
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...
- Francisco Javier MinaFrancisco Javier MinaFrancisco Javier Mina was a Spanish lawyer and army officer and a Mexican revolutionary.-Biography:...
- Casas Revolt
- Gutiérrez-Magee ExpeditionGutiérrez-Magee ExpeditionThe Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition was an 1812–13 joint Mexican-American filibustering expedition against Spanish Texas during the early years of the Mexican War of Independence.-Background:...
- Augustus MageeAugustus MageeAugustus William Magee was an U.S. Army lieutenant and filibuster who led an invasion of Spanish Texas in 1812....
- Samuel KemperSamuel KemperSamuel Kemper was an American adventurer and filibusterer.Born in Fauquier County, Virginia, Kemper was involved with his brothers in the 1804 rebellion in West Florida. He later participated in the 1812-13 Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition into Spanish Texas, becoming commander of after the death of...
- James LongJames LongJames Long may refer to:* James Long , filibuster in Spanish and Mexican Texas* James E. Long, current North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance* James Long , Australian Senator...
- Agustín de IturbideAgustín de IturbideAgustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Aramburu , also known as Augustine I of Mexico, was a Mexican army general who built a successful political and military coalition that was able to march into Mexico City on 27 September 1821, decisively ending the Mexican War of Independence...
Sources
- "Gutiérrez de Lara: The Mexican Experience in Texas" Rie Jarratt, (New York: Arno Press, 1976).
- "Green Flag Over Texas: A Story of the Last Years of Spain in Texas" Julia Kathryn Garrett, (Austin: Pemberton Press, 1939).
- "Coahuila y Texas en la época colonial" Vito Alessio Robles, (Mexico City: Editorial Cultura, 1938; 2d ed).