Vicente Guerrero and Afro-México

During Black History Month, we take time to recognize the stories of those who are often ignored in the history books. Recognizing the achievements of the Black diaspora allows us to respect their achievements and address the whitewashing of history. While we spend our time celebrating the likes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, we ignore the achievements of a Black folks with similar accomplishments. Vicente Guerrero was the second President of Mexico and a general from the war of independence. He led Mexican soldiers in their fight for freedom and went on to abolish slavery about three decades before the United States. Yet, his accomplishments often go unacknowledged. This is the story of a man who unyieldingly fought for freedom and changed the landscape of a nation forever. 

Africans in Mexico

Africans were present in Latin America from the moment that Spain began its conquest. The first African slaves were taken as servants with the conquistadors of Spain and Portugal. After destroying various Indigenous civilizations, these empires set out to strip these lands of their riches. Thousands of natives were put to work in grueling conditions in mines and plantations (haciendas), while plagued by European diseases. This led to massive death tolls for Indigenous populations and a lack of labor for the Spanish. To replace the dying Indigenous populations, Africans were imported and sold to mines and haciendas across New Spain (modern day Mexico and Central America). 

Today, Mexicans are proud of this mixed heritage (mestizo) and they acknowledge the many impacts of Indigenous and Spanish culture. All the while ignoring the African heritage predominant in many Latin American nations. In the late 1500s, the transatlantic slave trade led to such a massive influx of Africans that they often outnumbered Europeans in many towns and cities—including Mexico City. Afro-Mexicans were—and still are—more predominant along coastal regions with Veracruz on the Atlantic and the Costa Chica along the Pacific, including Oaxaca, Michoacan, and Guerrero. African presence in Mexico was so numerous that geneticists estimate, “almost all Mexicans carry about 4% African ancestry,” with higher percentages in the regions I just mentioned. So where did they go?

Spain implemented a hierarchical system based on racial castes, known as “castas,” in its colonies. Unlike those of U.S. slaveholders, Spain’s racial systems allowed for the mixing of races which enabled certain people to move up or down castes. Additionally, slavers usually transported African men as laborers. This combination of social and historical factors led to many Mexicans being some mixture of Indigenous, African, and Spanish. The casta system stratified society into levels with the “best” being closest to European and the “worst” being closest to African. Additionally, Spanish colonies tended to have larger populations of freed slaves as many purchased their own freedom. Despite this, the casta system continued to enforce strict taxes and laws as punishment for those with African or Indigenous blood. 

The Life of Vicente Guerrero 

Vicente Ramon Guerrero Saldaña was born in 1782 in the town of Tixtla in southern Mexico. His father was Juan Pedro Guerrero, a free Afro-Mexican, and his mother was Guadalupe Saldaña, of Indigenous descent. Vicente never received a formal education, simply learning from his life and labor. Taking on his father’s profession as a mule driver gave him a strong understanding of the region’s geography. He also learned native languages from his mother and often practiced with townspeople on the road. While his parents were stark opponents to slavery, they were strong supporters of Spain—believing that slavery could be abolished through peaceful social reform. Due to a misunderstanding, Pedro believed that Vicente was going to join the war for independence—having just started in 1810. This led him to disown Vicente and oust him from their home. Shortly thereafter he met General Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon in Acapulco—an Afro-Indigenous Mexican and leader of the war for independence. Morelos assigned him to serve under General Hermenegildo Galeana and so began the story of Vicente Guerrero. 

Mexico’s war for independence was a difficult and bloody conflict, stretching out from 1810 to 1821. It began as several uprisings with varying degrees of success, militias cropped up across the country led by generals such as Morelos—who was a priest and also once a mule driver. The Mexican war of independence is unique in that it was mostly fought by those of African and Indigenous heritage. Tired of the abuses and restrictions brought by their castas, many rebels were Afro-Mexicans. Instead of sending troops from the mainland, Spain often conscripted militias to fend off rebels. Insurgents used this to their advantage as they often convinced enemy soldiers to desert and join the rebellion for their own freedom. Similarly, the Spanish offered amnesty and benefits to promote rebel desertions. This led the war to become very racially divided, with Spaniards driving one side and Black/Indigenous Mexicans driving the other—so much so that some papers began referring to it as a race war. 

Guerrero quickly rose through the ranks and became an impressive general. His knowledge of the land and ability to communicate with Indigenous communities allowed him to quickly maneuver troops, recruit in native towns, and maintain support from the region. In 1815, General Morelos was captured and executed by a Spanish firing squad, leaving Guerrero as commander in chief of the insurgent forces. Morelos had led many successful battles and became stronger with every win. Guerrero became a pioneer of civil rights when he instated democratic offices in many of the towns he captured. He supported the redistribution of land to natives and the freedom for Afro-Mexicans—outside of slavery and the castas. Nevertheless, the long war was difficult and the loss of heroic figures led to much desertion. To avoid more damages and loss, Spain began to try different tactics to dissuade enemy generals. In 1820, Spaniards convinced Pedro Guerrero—his father—to beg for Vicente’s surrender. This led Vicente to address his troops where he famously announced, “I have always respected my father, but the motherland is first.” His quote echoes throughout history and is known by most Mexicans today, “la patria es primero.”

The toll of war was heavy on everyone involved making it difficult to keep up fighting momentum. Many Spaniards and creoles (Spaniards born in New Spain) were wealthy landowners, and therefore supported Spanish rule. However, in the last years of the war they had a change of heart, preferring to be wealthy under their own rule. General Agustin Iturbide was one such military commander, who up until this point had fought for Spain and was responsible for the capture of Morelos. In order to stop the war and finally oust Spain, Iturbide and Guerrero secretly communicated to form a compromise. An original offer protected wealthy landowning Mexicans and gave full rights to natives and their descendants. Guerrero angrily rejected this offer and declared that he would not sign an agreement until full rights for all Mexicans were secured. Soon after followed “El Plan de Iguala,” which established an emperor (Iturbide), protected the Catholic church, abolished the casta system, and guaranteed civil rights to all Mexicans. Soon after, most Mexicans rallied behind the cause for independence and Spain had no choice but to retreat. 

Without further funding from Spain and other countries, Mexico was in an economic crisis. The war had left much of its infrastructure in shambles because rebels often targeted mines and other sources of revenue for the wealthy. Additionally, Iturbide’s policies did not support the common people and working classes. This led Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna to declare Mexico a republic and attack Iturbide. Together with Guerrero, and other generals from the war, they defeated Iturbide in 1823. Finally Mexico became a democratic republic and elected its first president, Guadalupe Victoria. During this first term, Guerrero spent much of his time organizing a political group which he dubbed the, “People’s Party.” This party helped him run for president in the second election. Gomez Pedraza, a royalist general until right before the end of the war, was elected as the second president of Mexico. This did not sit well with Guerrero’s supporters, most of the common folk, which led Santa Anna to resign governorship and oust the president-elect from office. After a few days of battle, Pedraza surrendered the presidency and exiled himself to Europe. Guerrero was now the second president of Mexico. 

Many towns had elected democratic councils and were often run by Indigenous leaders who did not speak Spanish. During his time as a general, Guerrero had been a strong supporter of these movements, and continued into his presidency. He established a vision for a republic which transcended the barriers of class and democracy. However, much of the common populace was worried that another leader may reverse these changes since it negatively affected the aristocracy. Due to an awkward inauguration and resentful aristocracy, Guerrero had few allies among the elite. 

On September 16th, 1829 the Guerrero administration officially abolished slavery in the Mexican Republic. As president, he faced many trials including having to fend off a reconquest attempt from Spain, but this achievement would be his downfall. His populist ideals created many enemies among the political elite and wealthy classes. Meanwhile, Mexico had been encouraging the immigration of Americans to Texas in an attempt to bolster the economy through their slave-labor. When it came time to enforce abolition, the slave-owner led Texas seceded and eventually joined the United States. Nonetheless, Guerrero never lived to fight in Texas.

Only three months after abolishing slavery he was driven from Mexico City by a new government of reactionaries. Ousted by his own vice president, Anastasio Bustamante, he was forced to fight in a guerilla war as his presidency was curtailed at eight months. Kidnapped by agents from the new government, Vicente Guerrero was executed in early 1831. Many states and leaders attempted to save him, but in the end there was no dissuading Bustamante and his new regime. 

Legacies

The efforts of Vicente Guerrero and the many African, Indigenous, and even Asian Mexicans left lasting impacts on history. The war for Mexican independence was one fought by the people and for the people. Both a founding father and abolitionist, Guerrero achieved what many others could not, would not, and did not. He championed public schooling, voting reform, land title reform, and other liberal programs as president. His political legacy was carried on by his wife—Maria “la Generala” Guadalupe Hernandez—and family. His grandson, Vicente Riva Palacio, went on to become an acclaimed historian responsible for collecting large amounts of history which reflected the Indigenous and African impact on Mexico. The political ideology started by Guerrero and continued by his family, inspired many changemakers to come. Reformist and 26th president Benito Juarez as well as revolutionary Emiliano Zapata both followed similar paths as Vicente Guerrero.

Today, Black Mexicans’ contributions to history are often forgotten or ignored. Ending slavery from the start of the nation is taken for granted, and some forget the prevalence of the slave trade in Mexico altogether. The complex intermingling of races led to the birth of a “mestizo” Mexican race, often hailed as the mixture of Indigenous and Spanish blood. Together with reforms that prohibited the recording of race on certain public records—which had previously been used as a tool of the casta system—many African lineages were forgotten. Centuries of whitewashed history and colorism has misled us to forget the important contributions of Afro-Mexicans. The war of independence was also one of social liberation, and we must remember who fought for these freedoms. 

Remembering Vicente Guerrero helps us recognize the substantial impact that the Black diaspora has had on the world. The stories of Afro-Mexican rebels are echoed by similar stories in American history. Vicente Guerrero envisioned a future of equality that we have yet to reach. Black History Month is about remembering the visionaries and regular folk who lived their lives for a better future. Without whom, the moral compass of history may not have led us to where we are today.