Agustín Guzmán facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Agustín Guzmán
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 Army Commander-in-chief of Los Altos |
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| In office March 2, 1838 – March 19, 1840 |
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| President | Marcelo Molina Mata |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
Acting President of Los Altos |
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| In office August 26, 1848 – October 5, 1848 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Fernando Antonio Martínez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1799 Colonial Mexico, Spanish Empire |
| Died | October 1849 Outskirts of Guatemala City |
| Political party | Central American Liberals |
| Occupation | Commander-in-chief, Politician |
| Nickname | Héroe Altense |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Federal Republic of Central America, State of Los Altos |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Army of the State of Los Altos |
Agustín Guzmán López (born around 1799 – died October 1849) was a Central American military general and politician. He was known as "The Altense Hero." Guzmán was a liberal, meaning he believed in more freedom and less government control. He became the Army Commander-in-Chief of the State of Los Altos. This state was formed on March 2, 1838, as part of the Federal Republic of Central America.
However, Los Altos was defeated by Rafael Carrera on March 19, 1840. Because of this, Los Altos became part of Guatemala again. In 1848, when Carrera was away, Guzmán tried to bring Los Altos back as an independent state. He tried to take over Guatemala City with another rebel leader, Agustín Reyes. During the fight, Guzmán was killed by enemy fire in the Plaza de Armas.
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Agustín Guzmán's Life Story
Agustín Guzmán first came to Guatemala in 1822. He was part of Vicente Filísola's army. At that time, Central America had joined the Mexican Empire. After Filísola's army left, Guzmán decided to stay in Guatemala. He settled in a city called Quetzaltenango.
Revolts and the New State of Los Altos
In 1837, people started to rebel against the Federal President Francisco Morazán. The Central American Federation included Guatemala, Comayagua, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Rafael Carrera led a peasant revolt against the Guatemalan governor, Mariano Gálvez.
In early 1838, a Guatemalan liberal leader, José Francisco Barrundia, decided to work with Carrera. They wanted to remove Governor Gálvez from power. Carrera was already showing strong leadership skills.
On April 2, 1838, a group in Quetzaltenango decided to create their own independent state. They called it the State of Los Altos. This group wanted to be separate from Guatemala. Many important liberal leaders who were against the conservative government moved to Los Altos.
The Central American Federation approved Los Altos as its sixth state on June 5, 1838. A temporary government was formed. Marcelo Molina Matta, José M. Gálvez, and José Antonio Aguilar were part of it. Agustín Guzmán became the Army Commander-in-Chief.
In December 1838, Molina Matta was officially chosen as the Governor of Los Altos. He worked to improve roads and build a port. He also wanted to have a good relationship with the federal government.
However, some native people in the region were unhappy. They went to Guatemala City to complain about the new liberal leaders. They said Guzmán and others had set very high taxes. They also said that the leaders had taken away their common lands. When Guzmán and the Los Altos leaders found out about these complaints, they put the native people who had complained in jail.
The Fall of Los Altos in 1840
In April 1838, the conservatives lost power in Guatemala. Francisco Morazán and José Francisco Barrundia invaded Guatemala. They caused trouble for Carrera's followers. Carrera and his wife were very angry about this.
The liberals in Los Altos began to strongly criticize the conservative government of Rivera Paz. Los Altos was a very productive and economically active region. Without Los Altos, Guatemala lost a lot of its power. The government of Guatemala tried to find a peaceful solution. But the leaders of Los Altos did not agree. They felt protected because the Central American Federation recognized them. So, Guatemala's government decided to use force. They sent General Rafael Carrera to take control of Los Altos.
Carrera defeated General Agustín Guzmán. Guzmán had tried to surprise Carrera's army. Carrera then went to Quetzaltenango. There, he set up a strict conservative government. He warned the local leaders that he would be kind this first time. But he said there would be no mercy if they challenged him again.
Finally, General Guzmán and the head of Los Altos, Marcelo Molina, were sent to Guatemala's capital. They were shown off as war trophies in a parade on February 17, 1840. Guzmán was in chains, still bleeding from his wounds, and riding a mule.
Carrera's Exile and Guzmán's Last Attempt
Rafael Carrera was president of Guatemala for a while. But in 1848, liberal leaders forced him to leave office. Carrera resigned and went to Mexico. The new liberal government made a law saying Carrera would be executed if he returned.
While Carrera was away, liberal leaders from Quetzaltenango tried to make Los Altos an independent state again. This happened on August 26, 1848. General Agustín Guzmán led this effort. The new state had support from El Salvador.
Guzmán led the temporary government. But Carrera decided to return to Guatemala. He met with native leaders and told them to stay united. Meanwhile, Guzmán went to Antigua Guatemala to talk with Guatemala's government. They agreed that Los Altos would rejoin Guatemala. Guatemala would also help Guzmán defeat his enemy, Carrera.
But Guzmán's plan failed. While he was away, Carrera and his native allies took over Quetzaltenango. Carrera put Ignacio Yrigoyen in charge there. Yrigoyen was told to work with the native leaders to keep the region peaceful.
Guzmán then went to Jalapa and made a deal with some rebels. He tried to get support from El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua to fight Carrera. He wanted to bring back a federal government. But his efforts did not get enough support. Carrera returned to power in Guatemala.
Guzmán's Death
Guzmán entered Guatemala one last time with a new ally, Agustín Reyes. Carrera and his forces chased them. But Guzmán and Reyes were clever. They went straight to Guatemala City, leaving Carrera's army looking for them elsewhere.
Guatemala City had only a small group of soldiers. Guzmán and Reyes entered the city after winning a small fight. They went directly to Carrera's house. Guzmán threw torches, knowing Carrera's family was inside. After that, they went to the Government Palace. But they were attacked with heavy artillery. Guzmán was badly injured. He died that night, outside Guatemala City, while his forces were running away.
See Also
In Spanish: Agustín Guzmán para niños
- Los Altos
- Guatemala
- Francisco Ferrera
- Francisco Morazán
- Mariano Gálvez
- Quetzaltenango
- Rafael Carrera
- Vicente Filísola
