EPIGMENIO GONZÁLEZ: BIOGRAPHY, POLITICAL ROLE AND INDEPENDENCE - ARTE - 2024

Epigmenio González (1781-1858) was known for being one of the first insurgents that Mexico had during its struggle for Independence. He participated in the previous conspiracies, specifically in the one known as the Conspiracy of Querétaro, but was discovered and imprisoned.

Even during his imprisonment, he continued to plot for the freedom of Mexico. The death penalty was forgiven and he spent almost 30 years in prison, between Mexico and the Philippines. Most people believed that he had died in captivity.

Sculpture in honor of Epigmenio González. Source: JORGE TERRE OLIVA. Via Wikimedia Commons.

He was only able to return to Mexico when Spain recognized the freedom of the North American country and ordered the Philippines to release all the prisoners who were in their jails. He settled in Guadalajara and rejected any recognition and the offer of the governments of the day to return his properties.

Biography

José María Ignacio Juan Nepomuceno Aparicio Epigmenio González Flores, better known only as Epigmenio González, was one of the first conspirators that Mexico had in its fight for independence. He was born on March 22, 1781 in Querétaro, a city that was still under the rule of the Crown of Spain.

His parents were José María González and Rosalía Flores. The couple had three children. Rosalía, Epigmenio and Emeterio. They both died when their children were very young. Epigmenio was only four years old when his father died in 1785 and, months later, in the same year, he also lost his mother.

The three brothers were left in the care of their grandfather Manuel, who died 13 years later. The men, who were not yet of legal age, went to live with Carmen Covarrubias, a woman with an important economic position in the country.

When Covarrubias died, Epigmenio received as an inheritance a house and the business in which he worked as a cashier. Under his care, the store always guaranteed the best products for the locals, from food such as chicken, grains, butter, to skins of different animals and products such as charcoal, firewood or self-made liquors.

It was characterized by its great interest in different areas. He was skilled with numbers and passionate about poetry.

Life as a couple

He met Anastasia Juárez when they were both young. Juárez worked for a well-off family, being an Indian who took care of the children of the family she worked for.

They met because Anastasia Juárez was in charge of making purchases for the Spanish family and she did it in the store owned by Epigmenio. The union between the important salesman and Anastasia was not well seen because she was an Indian, but it did happen in 1801.

On three occasions they tried to have children, but all three times the babies died at birth. The marriage lasted almost nine years before Anastasia Juárez died of cholera.

His role as a conspirator

A few months after the death of his wife, Epigmenio gets a new motivation in his life. In 1810 he joined the meetings in which the first ideas about the independence of Mexico were raised.

Back then, these meetings were disguised as meetings to discuss literature. In addition to Epigmenio, among the conspirators were personalities such as Ignacio Allende, Miguel Domínguez and his wife or Miguel Hidalgo.

The role of Epigmenio and his brother Emeterio was of utmost importance to the rebels, as they had the task of making and storing ammunition in their home. It didn't take long before they were discovered.

The mayor of Querétaro and a sergeant gave the first notice to the Spanish authorities about conspirators in the city. On September 13, the Spanish Francisco Buera, who notified the priest Rafael Gil de León, joined the complainants.

A day later they began to detain people, among them the González brothers. Some conspirators managed to escape and began their fight against the Spanish. Some detainees repented of their actions and were pardoned by the Crown.

Complaints and imprisonment

The story about the imprisonment of Epigmenio González was left for history thanks to Francisco Argomaniz. He was in charge of writing in his diary what happened that September 14.

The arrest occurred on Friday, September 14, and the González brothers, according to Argomaniz in their writings, found a significant amount of ammunition on their property.

Along with the González brothers, more participants in the conspiracy fell. Among them, José was in charge of manufacturing the gunpowder and the capsules where it was stored. There was the García family, responsible for taking care of Epigmenio and Emeterio's house.

Epigmenio was commissioned to relate this event in his memoirs, which also named a student, two young people who had been adopted, and an elderly woman.

The Gonzálezes were sent to a military prison for their important role in the subversive movements. The other inhabitants of the house who were apprehended went to royal jails.

Life in prison

During Epigmenio's arrest, the fight for independence continued. Even other countries of the American continent, dominated by Spain, were joining the libertarian cause. Meanwhile, the González brothers were transferred to different prisons.

In the process Emeterio died in 1813 in his cell. The causes were never clarified. Epigmenio, for his part, continues to participate in the insurgent movement. He was associated with Antonio Ferrer, a lawyer who sought the release of several rebels and devised a plan to kidnap the Viceroy of that time.

Over time, the Spanish obtained documents in Epigmenio's possession that linked him to these new conspiracies. The merchant refused to give information about the plans made by his fellow fighters.

He was even offered forgiveness for his crimes in exchange for the information, but he did not accept any deal. The punishment was to be sentenced to the death penalty, the usual sentence for the time.

Sorry

The death sentence was never carried out because Epigmenio's sentence was changed to another. A judicial office in Querétaro recorded that the conspirator was sentenced to exile. The established time was 10 years in prison, but in the end he served twice as many years behind bars.

The site chosen for Epigmenio's confinement was in Oceania, in the Mariana Islands, but he finally served his sentence in the Philippines. which at that time were a colony of Spain.

Epigmenio's transfer to the Philippines was quite an adventure. He first had to be transferred to Mexico City, a journey that was made with a mule. From there the conspirator was sent to Acapulco, where one of the most important ports was located. A trip along the coast in a small boat allowed him to reach Baja California.

He changed his means of transport and direction again when, accompanied by more prisoners, he was sent across the Pacific to reach Japanese territory. The journey took more than six months. On Asian soil it was first sent to the Mariana Islands, as was originally planned, and then it arrived in the Philippines.

Independence and freedom

It is estimated that Epigmenio González arrived in the Philippines to continue serving his sentence in 1817. It did not take long for Mexico to make its independence from the Spanish official. Freedom finally occurred in 1821, but some struggles continued over the years.

Until 1836 Spain tried to regain control of what had been its colonies on American soil, but without much success. It was then that she decided to recognize the sovereignty of Mexico and release the prisoners she had under her power at that time. All this thanks to an order from the Queen of Spain.

The Philippines, which was still a Spanish colony, fulfilled the mandate of the crown and Epigmenio, after a few months, was finally released after 26 years in prison. Although with a new problem, he was still in Manila and had no resources or knew anyone who could help him return to Mexico.

I return to Mexico

After 26 years in prison, about 20 years away from Mexico, everyone who knew Epigmenio González believed that he had suffered the same fate as his brother Emeterio and had died. In fact, when he was still a prisoner in the Philippines, a street in Querétaro was named in his honor.

For his participation in the conspiracy to achieve freedom, he was assigned a pension that some of his relatives were in charge of collecting.

It is not known for sure how he managed to return to Mexico. Some stories tell of a Spaniard who helped him on his journey back to America. He did not want to live again in Querétaro, his city of origin, and decided to settle in Guadalajara. He did not accept the return of his assets, nor the pension that his relatives were collecting.

Even so, the government of Guadalajara was interested in his situation and offered him two houses, without major luxuries. They also provided him with a job at the Casa de la Moneda, a position he accepted in 1839.

He passed away almost 20 years after his return to Mexico. On July 19, 1858, he was unable to survive cholera, the same disease that had killed his wife many years before. Epigmenio was then 80 years old.

In 1855 his story was told in the pages of La Revolución. More than a century later, his remains were taken to the Pantheon of Illustrious Queretanos. Although the decision was accompanied by some controversy, since it has not been proven that the remains were his.

References

1. Alaman, Lucas. Portraits and Ideology. Ed. Of the National Autonomous Univ., 1939.
2. Bustamante, Carlos María de. Historical Picture Of The Mexican Revolution Begun On Sept. 15. From 1810. 2nd ed., 1961.
3. Hurtado Galves, José Martín. Epigmenio González and Ignacio Pérez, Heroes of Queretanos of Independence. Querétaro Editorial Fund, 2016.
4. Ibarra, Ana Carolina. Independence In The South Of Mexico. National Autonomous University of Mexico, 2004.
5. Reyes Bustos, Jesus. Epigmenio González. 2013.