Benito Pablo Juárez García - Acapulco, Mexico
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 16° 50.886 W 099° 54.457
14Q E 403309 N 1862973
A monument honoring to Mexico's national hero Benito Pablo Juárez García, better known as Benito Juárez, is located along Avenue Costera Miguel Aleman opposite Plaza Alvarez in Acapulco, Mexico.
Waymark Code: WMNRM5
Location: Guerrero, Mexico
Date Posted: 04/26/2015
Views: 2
A monument to Benito Juárez contains a statue of the former President of Mexico which includes memorial plaque inset into the back of the statue. An 8' high bronze statue of Juárez is depicted standing on a 6' high by 4' square faced with 9" square of marble tiles. Darker tiles at the top of the monument that once spelled out JUAREZ are missing.
Juárez is shown wearing a shirt buttoned at the collar, suit and floor length robes. He is holding a a triangular object waist high in his right hand and is clutching a book to his chest with his left hand. The cover of the book is inscribed 1857 is raised numbers. It was in the year 1857 that the new reform constitution of Mexico was published under under which Juárez became President of the Supreme Court of Justice. In 1873, the city of Acapulco officially changed its name to Acapulco de Juárez
The plaque on the back of the statue contains the coat of arms of Acapulco and the following inscription which includes a famous quote from Juárez:
2002 - 2005
EL HONORABLE CONGRESO DEL
ESTADO DE GUERRERO
MEDIANTE DECRETO NUMERO 28,
DEL 27 DE JUNIO DE 1873,
DENOMINO A NUESTRA CIUDAD
COMO ACAPULCO DE JUAREZ.
EN HONOR AL ILUSTRE MEXICANO
BENITO JUAREZ GARCIA
BENEMERITO DE LAS AMERICAS.
EL PUEBLO Y GOBIERNO DE ACAPULCO,
RECORDANDO SU PASO
POR NUESTRO PUERTO, HONRA AL
RESTAURADOR DE LA REPUBLICA EN
EL 189 ANIVERSARIO DE SU NATALICIO.
"ENTRE LOS INDIVIDUOUS, COMO
ENTRE LAS NACIONES, EL RESPECTO
AL DERECHO AJENO ES LA PAZ."
ACAPULCO DE JUAREZ, GUERRERO; 21 DE MARZO DE 2004.
*** Translation ***
2002 2005
THE HONORABLE CONGRESS OF THE
STATE OF GUERRERO
BY DECREE NUMBER 28,
JUNE 27, 1873
I CALL OUR CITY
AS ACAPULCO DE JUÁREZ.
IN HONOR OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS MEXICAN
BENITO JUAREZ GARCIA
MAN OF DISTINCTION OF THE AMERICAS
THE PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT OF ACAPULCO,
RECALLING HIS VISIT
TO OUR PORT, HONORS THE
RESTORER OF THE REPUBLIC IN
THE 189TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BIRTH.
"AMONG INDIVIDUALS, AS
AMONG NATIONS, RESPECT
FOR THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS IS PEACE."
ACAPULCO DE JUÁREZ, GUERRERO; MARCH 21, 2004.
Benito Juarez was born March 21st 1806 in San Pablo Guelatao, Oaxaca, Mexico. He was the child of Zapoteco Indians. After his parents died when he was 3 years old he lived with relatives. At 12 years old he began studying for the priesthood but in 1829 switched to studying law.
He was governor of the state of Oaxaca from 1847 to 1852 but in 1853, he went into exile in New Orleans, LA because of his opposition to the corrupt military dictatorship of Antonio López de Santa Anna. He returned to Mexico in 1855 when the liberals formed a provisional government under General Juan Álvarez. He worked to create a modern civil society and capitalist economy. The Juárez Law of 1855 declared all citizens equal before the law and severely restricted the privileges of the Catholic Church.
Juárez was president of Mexico from 1861 - 1872. Between 1864 and 1867 he fought against the foreign occupation of Mexico under Archduke Maximilian of Austria who was backed by Napoleon III of France. Benito Juárez died of a heart attack on July 18, 1872 in the National Palace in Mexico City.