List of Mexican–American War monuments and memorials facts for kids
The Mexican-American War happened between 1846 and 1848. It was a big conflict between the United States and Mexico. After the war, many monuments and memorials were built to remember the events and the soldiers who fought on both sides.
One of the most important memorials is the Mexico City National Cemetery. This was one of the very first U.S. national cemeteries. Even though the U.S. didn't officially start its national cemetery system until 1862, this cemetery was set up in Mexico City on September 28, 1850, right after the war.
In Mexico, many monuments honor those who died on the Mexican side. A famous group is the Niños Héroes (which means "Hero Children"). These were seven young army cadets who bravely defended Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City. You can find other monuments in Mexico City, and in cities like Monterrey, Nogales, Puebla, San Miguel de Cozumel, and Toluca de Lerdo.
In the United States, there isn't a main memorial for the Mexican-American War on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. However, there are monuments in many states, including California, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.
Monuments in Mexico
Many monuments in Mexico remember the brave people who fought in the war. A very special story is about the Niños Héroes.
The Niños Héroes
Hundreds of monuments celebrate the Niños Héroes, the seven young boys who defended Chapultepec Castle. This happened during the American invasion in 1847. A famous legend says that the last boy alive wrapped himself in the Mexican flag and jumped from the castle wall. He chose to do this rather than surrender to the American forces.
Mexico City Memorials
- The Mexico City National Cemetery is a U.S. national cemetery. It is located in Colonia San Rafael. Land for it was bought in 1850. This cemetery is still the main place where the U.S. government tried to gather and honor the remains of soldiers who died during the war with Mexico. Today, it's a small, peaceful area in the middle of Mexico City. About 750 Americans who died in the war are honored here. The cemetery is managed by the American Battle Monuments Commission.
- The Obelisco a los Niños Héroes is a monument dedicated to the Niños Héroes. U.S. President Harry S. Truman visited a Niños Héroes monument in Mexico City in 1947. This was the first time a U.S. president had visited Mexico.
- The San Patricios memorial is in Plaza San Jacinto, in San Ángel, a part of Mexico City. It honors the Saint Patrick's Battalion. These were mostly Irish soldiers who fought for Mexico. About 50 members of this battalion were executed by the U.S. Army.
Monterrey Memorials
- The Niños Héroes Park is in Monterrey. There is a statue of the six heroes in this park.
Nogales Memorials
- One of the first Niños Héroes memorials is in Nogales, Sonora. It uses six pillars to represent the six "martyrs" or heroes.
Puebla Memorials
- Many monuments to the Niños Héroes have six pillars. These pillars stand for the six cadets who were killed. Sometimes, there is a statue in the middle. In Puebla, a statue of the Mexican eagle is placed with three pillars on each side.
San Miguel de Cozumel Memorials
- The Mexican War Memorial here is an obelisk, which is a tall, narrow, four-sided monument.
Toluca de Lerdo Memorials
- This stone monument shows a dead cadet wrapped in the Mexican flag. Locals sometimes call it "The drunken lad" or "The bed of stone."
Monuments in the United States
Many states in the U.S. have monuments to remember the Mexican-American War.
California Memorials
- The Bear Flag Monument in Sonoma was dedicated on June 14, 1914. It remembers when the "Bear Flag Party" declared California's freedom from Mexican rule on June 14, 1846.
- The Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial is in Los Angeles. It was created by sculptors Albert Stewart and Henry Kreis and dedicated on July 3, 1957.
- The Mormon Battalion Memorial is in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma, San Diego. It was built in 1998.
- At San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park, near Escondido, you can find a plaque and a bas relief (a type of sculpture).
- The Capt. Thomas Fallon statue in San Jose, California has been a topic of discussion.
- The Mormon Battalion Monument is in Presidio Park, San Diego. Sculptor Edward J. Fraughton created it, and it was dedicated on November 22, 1969.
Indiana Memorials
- There is a Mexican War Memorial at Mt Hope Cemetery in Logansport, Indiana.
Kentucky Memorials
- The Kentucky War Memorial is in Frankfort Cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky. The state of Kentucky provided $15,000 for it in 1848.
- The Salt River Tigers – Mexican War Monument is on the courthouse lawn in Lawrenceburg, Anderson County, Kentucky.
- The Bourbon County Mexican War Veterans Monument is in Paris Cemetery, Paris, Bourbon County, Kentucky.
- The Mexican War Veterans Monument is in Battle Grove Cemetery, Cynthiana, Harrison County, Kentucky.
- The Colonel William R. McKee Monument is on Main Street in Midway. It's a tall column with an urn on top. The words on it were written by Theodore O'Hara, who wrote the famous poem The Bivouac of the Dead. This poem was used in many U.S. Civil War memorials.
- A memorial to General William Orlando Butler (who fought in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War) is in the Butler Family Cemetery at General Butler State Park.
Maryland Memorials
- The Watson Monument was created by sculptor Edward Berge in 1903.
- The Mexican War Midshipmen's Monument is at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
Mississippi Memorials
- The War Memorial Building in Jackson, Mississippi is a Mississippi Landmark. It has panels remembering the Battle of Buena Vista and important figures like Jefferson Davis and John A. Quitman.
New Mexico Memorials
- The Mormon Battalion Monument is 32 miles north of Albuquerque. It was built in 1940.
New York Memorials
- The Mexican American War Memorial is at Soldiers Walk Memorial Park, located at West Point Military Academy, New York.
- There is a Mexican War Memorial in Bronx, New York.
- The General Worth Monument is in Madison Square Park.
Pennsylvania Memorials
- The Mexican War Monument in Harrisburg was created by sculptors Hamilton Alricks Jr. and John McFadden between 1867 and 1869.
- There is a Mexican War Memorial in Philadelphia.
- The Mexican War Streets Historic District is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh.
Tennessee Memorials
Tennessee has two main monuments to the Mexican-American War:
- The Mexican War Memorial in Gallatin City Cemetery, Gallatin, Tennessee.
- The Mexican–American War Memorial in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.
Texas Memorials
- The Mexican–American War Memorial is at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas. It's a bronze plaque from 1910 that lists 141 officers who died in the war. The Battle of Palo Alto is also remembered by letters in the marble floor below.
- The Mexican War Memorial is in Veterans Park, College Station, Texas. It features a sculpture by J. Payne Lara.
- A Mexican War Veterans memorial was unveiled in 2014 in Corpus Christi, Texas.
- The Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park is a place where a major battle of the war took place.
Utah Memorials
- The Utah Mormon Battalion Monument was created by sculptor Gilbert Riswold in 1927. It is located at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City.
Related Monuments and Memorials
There are also monuments that remember Mexican-Americans who served in other wars, like World War II. For example, you can find them in Emporia, Kansas, and Sacramento, California. Also, there are many monuments related to the Texas Revolution (1835–36), which happened about ten years before the Mexican-American War.
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