Juarez was a lawyer of Zapotec ancestry who played a decisive role in a tumultuous period in the history of Mexico. A judge, a city councilman in Oaxaca, and a governor of the State of Oaxaca, he was a liberal power during political culture wars in mid-Nineteenth Century Mexico. He was imprisoned and exiled for his political stance when conservatives reigned in Mexico City and served as Minister of Justice and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court when the liberals were in power. In 1857, a revolution brought the conservatives back to power, and Juarez declared a rival government with himself as president. Ultimately, he and his side regained power. However, French forces invaded the country, and the conservatives invited the Austrian nobleman Maximilian Hapsburg to install a monarchy to replace Juarez's government. War ensued, resulting in the Mexican army defeating the French. A turning point in the war was the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, which is celebrated today as the Cinco de Mayo in Mexico and among many Texans. The only full-blooded native to serve as President of Mexico, Juarez served five terms. He is considered a national hero in Mexico.

Maps1: The Road from Guelatao
2: Josefa
3: A Book in His Hand
4: Mexico Gets a Flag
5: Windows on the World
Images
6: The Curate of Loricha
7: Margarita
8: "You Know Our Needs"
9: Santa Anna's Revenge
10: The Return of an Exile
11: "Ley Juárez"
12: In Defense of the Future
13: "A Little Indian by the Name of Juárez"
14: "Beyond the Domain of a Cannon"
15: "Cinco de Mayo"
16: Maximilian and Carlota
17: The Turning Point
18: "The People to Juárez"
19: The Judgment of History
Suggested Reading
Index
About the Author