Nicolás Bravo
Mercy determined Nicolás Bravo’s fate—mercy he gave, mercy he withheld, mercy he received, and mercy he was finally denied.
During the Mexican War for Independence, Bravo fought under Galeana and Morelos. The Spanish viceroy captured his father and promised to release him if Bravo would accept amnesty and cease fighting. Justifiably skeptical of Spanish promises, Bravo offered instead to release 300 prisoners in exchange for his dad.
The viceroy refused and executed Bravo’s father. Morelos thereupon ordered Bravo to put the prisoners to the sword as well.
Bravo refused. He wanted to differentiate the insurgent cause from the brutal Spanish regime, an astounding magnanimity that became famous as “Bravo’s Revenge” he released the prisoners. It proved wise since most of the 300 captives immediately joined Bravo’s ranks.
Later in the war, when fellow insurgent Ignacio López Rayón refused to endorse the new provisional government, Bravo arrested him and, incredibly, turned him over to the Spanish.
Soon enough, however, the Spanish captured Bravo, too; but, instead of executing both leaders, as was their custom, they only imprisoned them, perhaps to acknowledge the mercy Bravo had shown.
After the war, Bravo led the conservative faction of republicans, insisting on a strong central government. When he lost the presidential election to the liberal/federalist Guadalupe Victoria, Bravo, as Mexico’s first vice president, led an armed insurrection (thus setting a powerful but disastrous precedent for Mexican politics), which Guerrero easily put down. Many called for Bravo’s death, but Victoria showed him mercy, and only exiled him.
Bravo returned and served three short stints as the Mexican president—under the thumb of but sometimes undermining the interests of Santa Anna. When Bravo unsuccessfully defended Mexico City from the United States invaders, Santa Anna called him a traitor (although it was Santa Anna who had abandoned him and the Children Heroes (Los Niños Héroes) defending Chapultepec Castle. Nonetheless, Bravo later refused to endorse a manifesto against Santa Anna.
In the end, there was no mercy for Bravo. In his retirement, both he and his wife died together mysteriously, apparently poisoned.
Since then, Mexican politics has remained a merciless affair.
This is a selection from Ellison’s recently published book, Mexican Streets: Tales of Tragedy and Triumph, available at Amazon, Diane Pearl’s and Handymail.
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