- Heroic Military Academy (Mexico)
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Heroic Military Academy (Mexico) 
Established 1823 Type Military college Location Tlalpan, Mexico City, Mexico
19°15′30″N 99°9′2″W / 19.25833°N 99.15056°WCoordinates: 19°15′30″N 99°9′2″W / 19.25833°N 99.15056°WMascot Royal Eagle Affiliations SEDENA Website Official The Heroic Military College (official in spanish: Heróico Colegio Militar) is a military educational institution founded in Mexico in 1823 in the former Palace of the Inquisition, under the name Cadet Academy taken in 1823 the name of Colegio Militar, settling in Perote, Veracruz, to return to Mexico City and occupied the Betlemitas monastery (where today are the Interactive Museum of Economy and the Museum of the Mexican army and air force) and from 1835 the building Recogidas (which would then set Pino Suarez, destroyed by earthquake 1985). Marine Cadets soon disassociated from the Military College where they founded the Military Naval School of Veracruz in 1897.
It is under the supervision of the Mexican Army and Air Force University and the Army Military Education General Directorate.
Contents
History of the College
Although as early as 1818 were plans for a military academy proposed, in would be only in 1822 when such plans materialized, with the efforts of Diego Garcia Conde, the ex-Spanish military officer then serving in the Mexican Army, for such an academy to be formed were approved by the Mexican Imperial Government, through the Imperial War Ministry.
In the middle of the year, Emperor Agustin de Iturbide ordered that the Former Inquisition Palace Complex become the headquarters of the now newly founded Military College of Mexico, the Military Cadet Academy and the Engineers Training School, all under their first director, Brigadier Diego Garcia Conde. By the next year, through the orders of War Minister General Jose Joaquin de Herrera, the Military College of Mexico was relaunched as a separate academy with headquarters at San Carlos Fortress, in Perote, Veracruz state. In 1824, in compliance with an order from President Guadalupe Victoria, 18 cadets of the now called Perote Military College of Mexico, through the permission of then college director Col. Juan Dominguez y Galvez, became the first cadets of the new Naval Aspirants College and the Tlacotalpan Nautical School trained to be the Mexican Navy's future ship officers.
Cadet of the Heroic Military Academy (Mexico) with a Golden Eagle, the academy mascot.
In 1828, due to a campaign against secret societies and masonic lodges, Lt. Col. Manuel Montano became famous for the College's first loyalty act, that the Military College should be exempted from the campaign due to the fact that no one in the College's cadet rosters were either secret society members nor Masons, and it turned into a national act of loyalty by the college cadets and faculty. As a result of this great deed, the College in March 1828 returned to Mexico City, first in the Bethelemitas convent and later in the Inquisition Palace Complex on July 1. By then, it began to be recognized by every Mexican as the nation's premier military educational institution.
The turmoil that sparked in the 1828 presidential elections took its toll on the College cadets. On September 11, a rebellion led by Generals Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and Jose Maria Lobato denounced the election results ten days before, in which Manuel Gomez Pedraza emerged as the winner. Two months later, on November 30, they together with Lorenzo de Zavala and Col. Santiago Garcia staged a coup d'état that took over the La Acordada building demanding that the election results be voided. The same day, President Victoria called on the College cadets to proceed to the National Palace, and they fought on the side of the armed forces for 4 days until the fighting ended on December 4, with a compromise reached by both sides.
Political turmoil broke out again in 1840. On July 13 of that year Gen. Jose Urrea bolted out of jail and led a rebellion against President Anastacio Bustamante, who was later imprisoned in the presidential residence. General Gabriel Valencia then ordered all troops loyal to the President to proceed at once to the city citadel. These included the cadets of the Military College under its then director Brigade General Pedro Conde, who was received by Gen. Valencia and sent a delegation of cadets to the citadel. The College delegation then moved to a church where they fought anti-Bustamante troops, which resulted in two wounded cadets (Juan Rico and Antonio Groso), the former later died of his wounds. On the 16th President Bustamante left his residence and Gen. Vicente Filisola arrived at the church premises. On that night, when an armistice was made, the attempted coup was already over.
The next year, it relocated to the Chalpultepec Castle in Mexico City. This castle would be, in 6 years time, during the Mexican War, a place where 5 cadets and an officer in the faculty died in defense of the Mexican nation, and it would gain the Heroic designation. After a few years, the College relocated to the Inquisition Palace and later to San Lucas.
In 1846, the College's only naval director, Graduate Ship Captain Francisco Garcia began his duties as College Commandant, a duty lasting until 1847. A sudden rebellion by the Corps of Cadets happened during his tenure.
The following year, under the first term of commandant Col. José Mariano Monterde Segura, the Mexican War struck Mexico City and the cadets caught up in the turmoil of the war. Sept. 11 was marked by the baptism of fire yet again for the Corps: the battles on the Condress' Estate. On Sept. 13 on that year the College became the site of the battle that changed it forever: the Battle of Chapultepec between the Mexican Army, including the College cadets, and the United States Army and United States Marine Corps. On the part of the College 5 cadets of the Corps of Cadets - Cadets Juan Escutia (who legend states committed suicide by jumping to the hill wrapped in the Flag of Mexico), Agustin Melgar, Francisco Marquez, Fernando Montes de Oca, and Vicente Suarez, and one active graduate and faculty member, Engineers Lieutenant Juan de la Barrera, were its greatest losses (most of the Corps were killed in action during the battle), with the rest taken as POWs or wounded. The 6 fatalities of the College are now known more in Mexico as the Niños Héroes today, and their sacrifices remembered on that day yearly all over the nation.
In 1858, during the term of Commandant Colonel Luis Tola Algarín the College moved its facilities to the former Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Mexico City. That year, it was caught up once again during the Reform War when the Corps and the school leadership on October 15, by then in Toluca, learned of the oncoming battle between them and the forces of Gen. Miguel Blanco in the town in order to prevent their advance to the capital city. They fought bravely enought to ensure their defeat, at the cost of some of their cadets who died in action in the town.
The school was used as a setting for Luis Miguel's 1989 music video "La Incondicional". In the video he plays an Air Force cadet. In a marching scene towards the end of the song one can see the "Por el Honor de Mexico" banner.
Perote, the second home of the Military College, has been dubbed by the Veracruz State Congress as The Cradle of the Military College since 2002.
Motto and Collegiate Slogan
Por el Honor de Mexico (For Mexico's Honor) is the college motto, made in a contest organized by radio station XEQ in commemoration of the centenary of the defense of Chalpultepec Castle in 1947.
Every midday, after the afternoon ceremony and before the midday parade, the following cheer is done by the Corps of Cadets:
- Cadet Corps Commander: Heroico Colegio Militar (Heroic Military College)
- Cadets: Por el Honor de Mexico! (For Mexico's Honor!)
Collegiate Hymn
The Hymn of the Heroic Military College was composed in 1930 by Prof. José Ignacio Ríos del Río. [1]
Lyrics
Spanish
Chorus
Vibre el clarín de la guerra, resuenen las fanfarrias
Redoblen los tambores, una marcha triunfal
Y lleven de la Patria a todos los confines
Tu nombre sacrosanto,
Colegio Militar
Tu nombre sacrosanto,
Colegio MilitarI
Colegio sacrosanto, de memoria bendita
de forjaran sus almas, Montes de Oca y Melgar
La Patria bate marcha de honor a tu pasado,
de epopeyas gloriosas y de nombre inmortal.Y en un gesto sublime de amor y de cariño,
bendice a los efebos que supieron morir
bañados por las ráfagas de luz espendorosa
que el ángel de la gloria enviara del cenit.Repeat Chorus
Commandants
No. Period Rank Notes 1 1818–1823 Brigadier General Diego García Conde 2 1823–1824 Cavalry Colonel Juan Domínguez y Gálvez 3 1825–1828 Cavalry Lieutenant Colonel José Manuel Arechaga 4 1835–1836 Engineers Colonel Ignacio Mora y Villamil 5 1836–1846 Brigadier General Pedro García Conde 6 1846–1847 Graduate Captain, Commander Francisco García Salinas Only naval officer commandant of the College 7 1847–1853 Graduate Gen., Engineers Colonel José Mariano Monterde Segura Led the defense of Chapultepec Castle during the Battle of Chapultepec which took a heavy toll for the Academy 8 1853–1854 Graduate Gen., Engineers Colonel Santiago Blanco Duque de Estrada 9 1854–1859 Graduate Gen., Engineers Colonel Luis Tola Algarín 10 1859–1860 General Graduado, Coronel de Ingenieros José Mariano Monterde Segura 2nd Period 11 1861–1863 Brigade General José Justo Alvarez Valenzuela 12 1868–1871 Engineers Colonel Amado Camacho 13 1871–1880 Engineers Colonel Miguel Quintana González 14 1880–1883 Division General Sóstenes Rocha 15 1883–1884 General Graduado, Coronel Tec. de Artillería Francisco de Paula Méndez 16 1884–1906 Engineers Colonel General Juan Villegas Highest ranking officer commandant of the College 17 1906–1912 General de Brigada de E.M. Esp. Joaquín Beltrán Castañares 18 1912–1913 Brigade General Felipe Ángeles 19 1913 Artillery Technical Colonel Miguel Bernard 20 1914 Division General Samuel García Cuéllar Mexican Revolution 21 1920 Brigade General Angel Vallejo 22 1920 Brigade General Joaquín Mucel Acereto 23 1920–1921 General de Brigada Marcelino Murrieta Murrieta 24 1921–1923 General de Brigada Víctor Hernández Covarrubias 25 1923 General de Brigada José Domingo Ramírez Garrido 26 1923–1925 General de Brigada Miguel Angel Peralta 27 1925 General de Brigada I.C. Manuel Mendoza Sarabia 28 1925 Brigadier General Amado Aguirre Santiago 29 1925–1927 Division general Miguel M. Acosta Guajardo 30 1927–1928 General de Brigada Juan José Ríos 31 1928–1931 General de División Gilberto R. Limón 32 1931–1935 General de División Joaquín Amaro Domínguez 33 1935–1936 General de Brigada Rafael Cházaro Pérez 34 1936 General de Brigada Samuel Carlos Rojas Raso 35 1936–1938 General de Brigada Othón León Lobato 36 1939–1941 General de Brigada Alberto Zuno Hernández 37 1941–1942 General de División Marcelino García Barragán 38 1942–1945 General de División Gilberto R. Limón 2nd Period 39 1945–1948 General de Brigada Luis Alamillo Flores 40 1948–1950 General de Brigada Rafael Ávila Camacho 41 1950–1953 General de División Tomás Sánchez Hernández 42 1953–1955 General de División Leobardo Ruiz Camarillo 43 1955–1959 General de División Francisco de Jesús Grajales Godoy 44 1959–1965 General de Brigada Jerónimo Gomar Suástegui 45 1965–1970 General de Brigada Roberto Yáñez Vázquez 46 1971–1973 General de Brigada Miguel Rivera Becerra 47 1976 General de División Salvador Revueltas Olvera 48 1976–1980 General de División Absalón Castellanos Domínguez 49 1980–1982 General de División Enrique Cervantes Aguirre 50 1983–1985 General de Brigada Jaime Contreras Guerrero 51 1985–1988 General de División Carlos Cisneros Montes de Oca 52 1988–1991 General de División Carlos Duarte Sacramento 53 1991–1994 General de Brigada Luis Ángel Fuentes Álvarez 54 1994–1997 General de Brigada Rigoberto Castillejos Adriano 55 1997–2000 General de Brigada Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda 56 2000–2002 Division General Tomás Ángeles Dauahare 57 2002–2003 General de Brigada Manuel Sánchez Aguilar 58 2003–2006 General de Brigada Carlos García Priani 59 2007–2008 Brigade General Francisco Tomas Gonzalez Loaiza 60 2008- Brigade General Gonzalo Bernardino Duran Valdez References
Air Force Escuela Militar de Aviación • Escuela Militar de Especialistas de Fuerza Aerea • Escuela Militar de Mantenimiento y Abastecimiento • Escuela Militar de Tropas Especialistas de Fuerza AereaNavy Heroica Escuela Naval Militar • Naval Medical School • Naval Engineering School • Naval Nursing School • Naval Aviation School • Search, Rescue and Diving SchoolPublic Universities Privates Universities Military Academies H. Colegio MilitarCategories:- Military academies of Mexico
- Educational institutions established in 1823
- Mexico City
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