President Andrés López Obrador is repatriating the remains of a 19th-century revolutionary from Panama to a country where more than 100,000 have disappeared in Mexico CityWed 17 Jul 2024 10.30 CESTLast modified on Wed 2 Apr 2025 14.26 CESTShareOn 8 March 1895 a quixotic Mexican journalist-turned-revolutionary called Catarino Erasmo Garza was killed in battle a long way from home his body tipped into a mass grave and lost López Obrador has a soft spot for Garza, about whom he wrote a book. He requested the expedition and the senate approved it earlier this year dispatching a boat with almost 100 soldiers and staff from the National Search Commission to Bocas del Toro As a young journalist on the US-Mexico border in the late 19th century Garza railed against the then regime of Porfirio Díaz whose 30-year rule saw a centralised state drive uneven development through infrastructure and foreign investment while stifling political liberties and muzzling the press Garza would eventually mount a harebrained incursion from Texas into Mexico with a band of fewer than 100 armed men, hoping to eventually reach the capital and dethrone Díaz. Read more“The last of the independent journalists today puts down his pen to take up the sword in defence of the rights of the Mexican people,” wrote Garza he went into exile and landed in Costa Rica where he joined up with Colombian liberals engaged in their own civil war hoping to make allies that might one day help him topple Díaz in Mexico was shot dead during an assault on a barracks in Bocas del Toro before his body was tossed into a mass grave The expedition sent by the Mexican government recovered fragments of teeth and bone from the suspected site, which was identified as Garza’s thanks to genetic information from his exhumed daughter according to the revolutionary’s great-grandson Catarino Erasmo Garza. Photograph: FLHC DBJU11/AlamyLópez Obrador described Garza as “an important revolutionary” and said he hoped to hold a tribute to him in Matamoros The historian Alfredo Ávila told El País that López Obrador admires Garza because he sees him as a precursor to the Mexican Revolution of 1911 that did eventually topple Díaz – and López Obrador compares the governments before his own with Díaz’s regime stirs the sympathies of the president,” said Ávila The expedition was criticised by relatives of the disappeared in today’s Mexico who questioned why such resources were available to look for a long-dead revolutionary when the institutions searching for their loved ones suffer budget restraints Last year the National Search Commission was roiled by the departure of Karla Quintana who had led it since 2019 and resigned citing political pressure to bring the number of disappeared down Quintana was replaced by Teresa Guadalupe Reyes Sahagún who before that had been the general director of the National Institute for Adult Education According to reports from staff more than 100 people have since lost their jobs or did not have their contracts renewed The Extraordinary Mechanism for Forensic Identification, set up in 2019 to help identify the more than 50,000 bodies lying in Mexico’s forensic system, is also set to close “How can they put so many human and economic resources into looking for this person in Panama when they aren’t looking for the disappeared in our own country, who moreover disappeared during [López Obrador’s] presidency?” asked Cecil Flores founder of the Madres Buscadoras de Sonora Tijerina, Garza’s great-grandson, told Animal Político that he was excited to find out where Garza’s remains are but thought too much money had been spent on the search He added that the Mexican government had proposed he sign a letter on behalf of his family stating that they asked for the expedition “I don’t want someone to say in the future: ‘Look because of your great-grandfather you were prioritised over thousands of people,’” said Tijerina Digging deep into his post’s history unearthed more than this FSO ever expected—including a passion for discovering and sharing knowledge to aid public diplomacy and boost morale It all began with a claim I had heard repeatedly since arriving at post as a first-tour consular officer in the summer of 2017: Consulate General Matamoros had been founded in 1832 and was the world’s oldest continuously operating U.S But I soon ran into a contradiction when I learned the consulate in Ponta Delgada in the Azores Islands has long been recognized as the world’s oldest U.S So was the founding date of our post in Matamoros as mythical as its claim to be the oldest consulate in the world This is how my passion for correcting the historical record and using our rich I realized that I was blazing a trail that any officer can follow to break ground and advance U.S My curiosity about Matamoros led me to the State Department’s Office of the Historian I was provided with scans of old personnel cards that seemed to indicate the first consul in Matamoros had been appointed in 1832 official State Department records listed that date and contacted the National Archives and the Library of Congress I talked to the Bunche Library at the Department of State I pored over archives of department publications at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley In a copy of a National Archives and Records Administration microfilm publication containing reproductions of original records was the first despatch written by a consul in Matamoros—dated 1826 Further investigation into newspaper records revealed that our first consul had actually been appointed in 1825 Its name changed to Matamoros the following year The department’s records were incomplete and They had listed Matamoros and Refugio as two separate consulates I was able to work with the Office of the Historian to correct the department’s account of the consulate’s founding Digging deeper into newspaper archives from the 1800s consular despatches and declassified department records I realized how remarkable our consulate’s history really was—and how incomplete our knowledge of it had become buried in archival records was the fact that in 1862 our consulate had burned to the ground during a siege of the city This was one of many violent incidents throughout the 1800s and early 1900s in Matamoros a strategic location during various Mexican revolutions were the stories of heroic employees who had been forgotten over the years Another fact: the local business community found the consulate to be so valuable that its members had helped fight off attempts to close the consulate due to budget cuts twice There were even long-lost photos and original floor plans for the building that housed the consulate between 1872 and 1948 A consul in the 1860s cut all the records out of post accounting books before fleeing under a cloud of corruption charges another consul’s teenage son was caught trying to smuggle marijuana into the United States in his own car like the story of a consul who was shot in the cheek in 1851 while helping put out a fire during revolutionary street combat in Matamoros Or the consul in 1913 who remained valiantly at post while fighting raged in the streets surrounding the consulate building died an agonizing death during a typhoid fever outbreak while serving in Matamoros in 1844 Because he had never been recognized on the AFSA Memorial Plaques When I shared these findings with my managers American Citizen Services Chief Etan Schwartz Consular Chief Elizabeth Alarid and Consul General Neda Brown they responded enthusiastically and supportively we were developing a Facebook campaign and a brochure about our rich long-lost history for visitors to the consulate working to rewrite erroneous information on our post website and integrating historical information into the consul general’s speeches We soon found that this project was helping to advance an important policy objective: strengthening the U.S.-Mexico relationship We also found ways to integrate my project into the everyday work of the consulate the American Citizen Services unit was able to use old newspaper articles and press releases to pinpoint the exact dates and circumstances of a 20-year-old incident as part of a fraud investigation But the most gratifying moment of my yearlong project came when CG Brown invited me to speak to the entire consulate community about my discoveries some colleagues approached me to discuss ideas of how to ensure our consulate maintained its history Create a partnership with a local university to digitize all that we’ve discovered One colleague excitedly told me after my presentation that understanding the past can help us understand the consulate’s integral role in northeastern Mexico and we’re part of the richness of this area,” he said “Seeing that come to life is really inspiring.” So why put effort into researching your own post’s history There’s the abstract argument that knowledge of history can help right past wrongs honor forgotten heroes and inspire us all toward a better future But there’s also a more practical perspective Posts can convert their own unique story into concrete public diplomacy and morale-boosting deliverables And the really good news: It’s not that hard at all The entirety of the central files for the 1906-1910 period and some records for the period 1973-1979 are available online you’ll likely need to travel to the National Archives itself for the records in-between but they’re there for the searching if you have the time The central files from 1980 and later remain in the custody of the department Other useful sources of information may include your nearby universities or the local foreign ministry which likely has an extensive archive of old correspondence between your post and the local government I realized that the Mexican government had maintained more than 100 years of fascinating records pertaining to past U.S all available and open to the public in Mexico City I found that the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley across the border from Matamoros in Brownsville Border consulates in Mexico and Canada are particularly well positioned to tell their stories because of their proximity to world-class American universities which often have meticulously maintained information regarding nearby border posts their activities have been reported on extensively by U.S relying almost completely on American sources may be necessary my research revealed that the entire local archive of Matamoros newspapers from the 1950s and 1960s had been destroyed in a flood from The New York Times to the Brownsville Herald and stretching as far back as the 1700s are available through sites such as newspaper.com or newspaperarchive.com Many old consular records are also available through ancestry.com Although some of these sources are behind a paywall there are also free options like the excellent “Chronicling America” newspaper series of the Library of Congress How deep you dig will depend on how deep you want to go You might be satisfied by simply tracking down and framing the very first consular despatch ever written from your post Or you may become so addicted to the research that your public affairs officer and front office will love you for it And you never know how your efforts might connect you to something bigger the Bureau of Consular Affairs was engaged in an effort to explore the history of the U.S consular service globally and included some of my research in its work the Office of the Historian and I are creating a toolkit that will empower posts to more easily tell their histories Throughout my investigation into the history of Matamoros My project had plugged historical holes and inspired my colleagues There’s a very good chance your own post’s history contains unusual wild and incredible stories that have been lost to oblivion Don’t assume that anyone has sought them out before You might be the one to tell those stories to your colleagues—and to the world in June 2019 after serving two years as a first-tour consular officer He is currently working with the State Department’s Office of the Historian on a project to enable posts to more easily access and use historical records The views expressed in this article are his own and are not necessarily those of the U.S The author would like to thank Bill McAllister with the Office of the Historian David Langbart with the National Archives and Records Administration and Foreign Service Officer Telside Manson for their assistance with this article Contact Us © 2023 by American Foreign Service Association. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy The National Federation of Coffee Growers (FNC) has teamed up with the Colombian Army to produce a limited edition coffee that tributes the “Heroes” who everyday put their lives on the line to protect and defend while directly benefiting the families of those who were slain or injured during combat with the proceeds of sales During a ceremony at the Inclusive Rehabilitation Center (CRI) in Bogotá Matamoros Corporation and National Federation of Coffee Growers presented the ‘Latidos de Cafe?’ blend and branded under the Juan Valdez name As the only country to have a federation of coffee growers Colombia’s global reputation is synonymous with the Arabic bean and as it celebrates this year its 90 years of service to the country the FNC thought that a fitting tribute for a post-conflict scenario would be to celebrate the dedication of the men and women who serve in the armed forces we can sometimes forget that in order to enjoy something as simple as a cup of coffee especially those who risk their lives to give us the security we so much enjoy” said Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas during the launch of ‘Coffee Beats.’ The non profit Corporación Matamoros helped design the packaging of the blend and came up with catch phrase: “Coffee tastes better than war.” This special edition coffee will be available in 50 stores nationwide and Juan Valdez will allocate part of the money raised by the sale of this coffee to educational grants “Coffee farmers are builders and representatives of the identity of Colombians they put forth the best in their lives so Colombia can grow,” said the minister the limited edition coffee presented an opportunity to raise awareness of the non profit at an historical moment in which the country embraces the peace process with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrilla reminding Colombians that even though the internal conflict with FARC is ending “one cannot forget the sacrifice and commitment of our soldiers.” Juan Valdez will put 2,000 units of ‘Latidos’ in 50 of their emblematic outlets administered by Procafecol and which last month saw the inauguration of their 400th venue Juan Valdez is available in the United States and Spain While one might not associate the violence in Colombia’s countryside with the coffee industry some 110,000 farmers were directly affected by the internal conflict forcing them to give up their farms and crops to seek refuge in the large cities the FNC supports half a million farmers across the country and whether you enjoy a smooth Nariño blend or a stronger cup that was hand picked in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta take advantage of this new blend that was harvested by one group of heroes for another and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" The City Paper was founded in 2008 as Colombia’s first free English language newspaper it was awarded the country’s Manuel Murillo Toro medal in communications for contributing to informed and objective coverage of Colombia Copyright © 2024 The City Paper | Terms and Conditions In her exquisite book “Unsung Texas Heroes” published in 1985 Texas historian Ann Ruff reports on the heroics of Francisca Alvarez (or Fancita Alavèz) during the Texas Revolution against Mexico in 1836 with a reverence with which few Texas women have been honored She describes Alvarez’s legendary effort to save Texas soldiers in the fabled Goliad Massacre as one of the most heroic efforts of Texas’ quest for freedom from Mexico “The heroes of the Alamo and Goliad are recalled in the famous battle cries ‘Remember the Alamo’ and “Remember Goliad,’ but does anyone remember the Angel of Goliad?” Ruff asks It took the Texas Legislature until 2001 to recognize this Texas heroine Alvarez’s life and real name are a riddle enshrouded with mystery and legend but today her descendants still gather to celebrate her legacy and her remains are reported to be in an unmarked grave on the King Ranch Who was this woman whom legend claims risked her life many times to save Texan soldiers condemned to die in front of a Mexican firing squad Texas military records and accounts claim she saved the lives of more than 140 Texans Alvarez was responsible for saving at least 20 of Col That day 341 Texans were put to death on orders of Gen who was trying to fend off the revolution by Texans Alvarez entered the presidio the night before the massacre bringing several men out with her and hiding them until after the Goliad Massacre She also made sure the 80 men from Major William B including Miller whom she found tied for several hours without food or water the Mexican army advanced to Victoria and again Alvarez helped spare the lives of 26 Texan boat builders It is believed Alvarez was only 19 and married or living with Mexican Army Captain Telesforo Alvarez or Alavèz After reports of her heroics filtered through the ranks of Texas revolutionaries She became known as the Angel of Goliad but also referred to as the Mexican Angel of Mercy and the Second Pocahontas A mystery unfolded that has yet to be solved Francisca’s definite date and town of birth remain unknown Not even historians are in agreement of her real name She has been referred to differently at times For this article we will follow Ruff’s work and she will be Francisca Alvàrez the Mexican soldiers – including Capt Alavèz and his young wife or companion — retreated with Gen where Alvarez helped more soldiers confined there Family lore claims the captain abandoned her and their two children when they returned back to Mexico saw Alvarez selling vegetables in a market place in Matamoros King immediately recognized the Angel of Goliad He asked her to come and live and work on the King Ranch Records show her son Matias Alvarez married Felipa Mosqueda The couple had 10 children and this family has helped her legacy live on The descendants of the Angel of Goliad include Dr Cavazos is a former president of Texas Tech University and was the first Hispanic Secretary of Education Cavazos was the first Hispanic four-star general in the Army Other descendants include Gilbert "Gibby" Alvarez The Angel of Goliad Descendants Historical Preservation Association hosts a web page (angelofgoliadhp.com) tracing the roots of the family The last one in Kingsville attracted more than 250 descendants who are now “spread all over the world.” The group also sponsors an information booth at the annual King Ranch Ranch Hand Breakfast Several artistic works honor the Angel of Goliad World renowned artist Hugo Villa was commissioned to create a bust of her that is now displayed at Presidio La Bahia Museum in Goliad A statue by Che Rickman stands between the Presidio and the Fannin Monument She is also the central character in a painting by Everett Jenssen that hands in the Goliad State Park Museum Manuel Flores is a professor of journalism and communications at Texas A&M University-Kingsville and a former Caller-Times reporter