Juan Aldama
Juan Aldama (
January 3,
1774 in
San Miguel el Grande,
Guanajuato –
June 26,
1811 in
Chihuahua) was a
Mexican insurgent during the
Mexican War of Independence. He was brother of
Ignacio Aldama.
At the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence Aldama was a
captain of the cavalry regiment of the Queen's militia. He attended the conspiratorial meetings for independence in
Querétaro despite having to travel from San Miguel el Grande (now San Miguel de Allende) in neighboring
Guanajuato.
Aldama was in San Miguel when he heard news that the conspiracy had been discovered by
Spanish authorities. He traveled to
Dolores (now Dolores Hidalgo) to alert
Miguel Hidalgo and
Ignacio Allende. Thus he prompted and witnessed the
Grito de Dolores on the night of
September 15,
1810, which started the armed conflict.
He was captured together with Allende, with whom he had fought during the campaign, in
Acatita de Baján in 1811. He was tried for insubordination towards the Spanish Crown and executed by
firing squad on
June 26,
1811, together with Allende and other members of the insurgency such as
Mariano Jiménez and
Manuel Santa María.
Aldama'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
1824 his remains were moved to an
altar in the
Metropolitan Cathedral in
Mexico City. Finally in
1925 his remains were moved one last time to the mausoleum in the
Independence Column in Mexico City.
The municipality of
Juan Aldama, Zacatecas was named after him.
*
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla*
Mexican War of Independence*
El Ángel
