Battle of Chapultepec
September 13th marks the anniversary of the Battle of Chapultepec and the "Niños Héroes" in Mexico, which took place in 1847. It all began because the United States declared war on Mexico with the ambition to expand its territory, mainly wanting to take over Texas, Alta California and New Mexico.
On September 12, 1847, at approximately 5:00 a.m., the United States began bombing where the military school in Chapultepec used to be. On September 13, the Americans began again to attack with great force, so General Nicolás Bravo gave the order to all the cadets of the Military College to abandon it. In spite of this order, some young men decided to stay in the fight and defend the castle with their lives. Among these elements that stayed until the end were the six Niños Héroes, defending themselves with the few weapons they had, even with their own bodies.
The U.S. military ended up taking the lives of these young men who defended the castle with their lives and won the war. Because of the enormous bravery of these cadets, they are known as the "Niños Héroes".
The "Niños Héroes"
Vicente Suárez: Born in Puebla and short in stature, he took a rifle and defended the castle when he was only 14 years old.
Fernando Montes de Oca: Born in Mexico City, he was 18 years old and belonged to the First Company, so he was ready and trained to fight against any kind of attack.
Francisco Márquez: He was the youngest of the group, he was only 12 years old, born in Guadalajara. He is remembered for his enormous bravery and is now part of the illustrious characters in Guadalajara.
Juan de la Barrera: Born in Mexico City, aged 19, he was a relative of Pedro de la Barrera, one of the Spanish conquistadors who arrived with Hernán Cortés.
AgustÃn Melgar: Born in Chihuahua and is known as the most creative of all because he tried to invent a pistol during the fight.
Juan Escutia: 20 years old at the time of the battle, to date he is the best known of all the stories of the boy heroes for the famous version that he threw himself with the Mexican flag from the highest part of the Castle.