Acapulco: Benito Pablo Juárez García Monument

Benito Pablo Juárez García Monument

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

(From the Cruise Ship Port to La Quebrada and Back)

N 16° 50.886 W 099° 54.457

Short Description: 

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.

Long Description:

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.