El veintiuno de marzo/March 21st

¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Benito Juárez! (1806-1872)

El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz. -Benito Juárez
(Respect for the rights of others is peace)

Benito Juárez as seen in a detail of Diego
Rivera's Dream of A Sunday Afternoon
in Alameda Central Park (1947). From
khanacademy.org (Readings on Modern
and Contemporary Art). Click HERE!

Mexican President from 1858 to 1872 and national hero to many (he has been called "the Lincoln of Mexico"),  Juárez was born to poor, indigenous parents in Oaxaca and orphaned at the age of three. He was raised by an uncle and only spoke Zapotec until the age of 12, when he began his formal schooling. This was because Antonio Salanvera, a lay Franciscan and bookbinder, was impressed by his intelligence and desire to learn and arranged for his education. Juárez, who at first studied for the priesthood but felt no calling, excelled in school and entered into politics even before graduating. In 1843, Juárez married Margarita Maza, the daughter of a wealthy Oaxaca family who had employed his sister as a maid (Juárez was 37 at the time, Maza only 17!). They remained married until Maza's death from cancer in 1871 and had 12 children together, five of whom died in childhood (Juárez also had two children before his marriage to Maza). Though controversial (some believe he was a dictator, even if benevolent, and conservatives opposed many of his reforms), Juárez is the only Mexican president with a national holiday honoring him (the third Monday of every March). He appears on the 20 peso note, Mexico's most common bill, and  has many streets, statues, and bridges named after him as well. He is remembered as being a reformer dedicated to brining his country more democracy, fighting for the rights of indigenous people, and lessening the power the Catholic Church then held over Mexico (Read more HERE). Two short videos on his life (accessible for students) are available HERE and HERE.

For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.