Leonardo Bravo (1764-1812) was a Mexican military man of liberal ideology, participant in the armed struggle for the liberation of Mexico during the first stage of its Independence. He was one of the most distinguished officers of the insurgent military José María Morelos y Pavón, being remembered for his participation in the Cuautla combat, where he resisted the royalist offensive for two months, despite the lack of supplies.
Leonardo was the father of General Nicolás Bravo, who was later president of his country and brother of four other insurgents. In recognition of his independence struggle, one of the 81 municipalities in the state of Guerrero, in southwestern Mexico, is named after him.
Diego Rivera Mural in the National Palace on the Independence of Mexico - Source: Wallack Family
Biography
Leonardo Bravo was born in the city of Chilpancingo, Guerrero, in 1764. Although there are few historical records of his childhood and adolescence, it is known that he was raised in the bosom of a family of relatively well-off Spanish farmers in the region, along with his brothers: Miguel, Víctor, Máximo and Casimiro Bravo.
At the age of 20, Leonardo acquired, along with his brothers and his wife Gertrudis Rueda, the San Miguel Chichihualco farm, near Chilpancingo. The property had a territorial extension similar to that of the municipality that bears his name today, demarcated by the Michapa River. In a short time, the ranch, mainly used for sowing seeds and raising cattle, became one of the most productive in the central region.
During the first decade of the 19th century, the Bravos received repeated requests from the colonial government to form a company of royalist auxiliaries in the region. Faced with his constant refusal to contribute to the defense of the colony, the royalists seized his property in retaliation and continued to harass the family.
Leonardo, his brothers, his wife and children had to flee from the viceroyalty authorities and hide for several months in the caves of Michapa.
Military career
Union of the liberal forces
General Hermenegildo Galeana arrived in the Chichihualco area in May 1811, asking the Bravos for resources to continue the fight for freedom and extending an invitation from José María Morelos y Pavón to join the fight. It was at that moment when Leonardo Bravo, his brothers and his son Nicolás decided to enlist with the independentistas.
Since then, the Bravos served as Morelos' trusted officers, with the exception of Casimiro who maintained his dedication to field work. Leonardo and his family participated in the armed actions in Chilpancingo, Tixtla and Chilapa, of which they were victorious.
Leonardo was later commissioned by Morelos with the administration of the newly founded province of Tecpan. Later he was in command of a division for the defense of Izúcar and managed to defeat the royalist Soto in December 1811.
Resistance in Cuautla
Cuautla Map Source:
His participation in the defense of Cuautla is one of his most recognized feats. It all started on December 25, 1811, when the rebel forces managed to take the area. Leonardo took care of fortifying the squares and churches of the city, as well as digging a network of trenches that surrounded it.
He also gathered food, instructed people, and maintained all the conditions to give refuge to the insurgents who were defeated in the expeditions of Tenecingo and Cuernavaca.
The royalists attacked on February 18, 1812 from four simultaneous directions, with Félix María Calleja at the head of a troop of approximately 5,000 men. Meanwhile, the insurgents managed to counter the onslaught with cannon fire and heavy fire.
The pressure continued for weeks and meanwhile Bravo defended his position in Santo Domingo. When supplies of food and water had run out, amid illness and death, the city was taken over by official forces. This episode is remembered because the fierce resistance of the liberals lasted for more than 70 days.
Bravo moves to the San Gabriel ranch, along with a score of insurgents that he managed to gather. His intention was to stay at the hacienda and recover weapons that had been buried there.
However, they did not achieve their mission, as a realistic detachment manages to apprehend them in a surprising way. On the orders of the realist Calleja, the prisoners transferred them back to Cuautla and then to Mexico City.
Death and honors
Leonardo's cause was carried out slowly, as the Bravos were offered to release him on the condition that the entire family abandon the independence struggle. For their part, the insurgent forces led by Morelos tried to obtain a pardon from the viceroy, Francisco Javier Venegas, in exchange for a considerable group of 800 royalist prisoners.
Negotiation attempts were unsuccessful and neither yielded to the other party, leading Leonardo to be tried and sentenced to the stick, one of the most degrading and infamous forms of the time. His comrades in arms, Mariano Piedras and Manuel Pérez, suffered the same fate on the Égido road in Mexico City.
It is not known how Leonardo's body was recovered to take it to the Cathedral where it is located. In 1823 he was declared Beneficial in a heroic degree. Years later, in May 1908, the Leonardo Bravo Municipality of the state of Guerrero was established, in honor of his name.
In 1961 the Leonardo Bravo Institute was founded under the motto "The Homeland will be what the School is." Among his recognitions is also the engraving of his name in gold letters on the Wall of Honor of the Chamber of Deputies and a statue on the Paseo de la Reforma.
References
- Encyclopedia.com (sf) Bravo, Leonardo (1764–1812). Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. Recovered from encyclopedia.com
- Henderson, T. (2009) The Mexican Wars for Independence: A History. New York, USA: Hill & Wang.
- Beautiful and dear Mexico (2017, April 25). Biography of Leonardo Bravo. Recovered from mexicolindoyquerido.com.mx
- Enciclopediagro.org (nd). Bravo Enciso, Leonardo. Recovered from encyclopediagro.org
- Nava, N. and BiCentenario: yesterday and today in Mexico (2015, July 17). A family of landowners who gave their lives for independence. Recovered from revistabicentenario.com.mx