Benito Jurez

Benito Pablo Juárez García was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer. He served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec, he was the first Indigenous president and the first democratically elected Indigenous president in the postcolonial Americas. During his presidency, he led the Liberals to victory in the Reform War and in the Second French intervention in Mexico. He is the only individual whose birthday (21 March) is celebrated as a national public and patriotic holiday. Many cities, streets, institutions, and other locations are named after him. He was considered the most popular Mexican president of the 19th century and is considered one of the most influential men of the time. He died of a heart attack in Mexico City on 18 July 1872, but with growing opposition from fellow Liberals who believed he was becoming autocratic. After his death, the city of Oaxaca added "de Juá Perez" to its name in his honor, and numerous other places and institutions have been named after the president. His parents, Brida Brígida García and Marcelino García, described his parents as "zapotec peasants"