What was the real face of Benito Juarez?

Few existing photographs of Benito Juarez, perhaps the most famous and well-known Mexican historical figure outside the country’s borders, but what is many is the way his image has been depicted on bills, coins, paintings, textbooks, films and serials. However, it seems that the image that we have reconstructed of the Merit of the Americas he is not totally attached to the true.

Juarez was born in San Pablo Guelatao, Oaxaca on March 21, 1806, Within a family with indigenous roots, he studied law and became president of mexico, thanks to this it is also known as Merit of the Americashowever, it is not so similar to the images of books and bills in which it appears.

The defender of the fatherland was one meter and 37 centimeters tall, had dark brown hair that was straight and usually short, had features native to his parents, medium complexion, dark complexion and always wore dark outfits.

This character was not exactly a charismatic or jovial man, he was quite the opposite, reserved and modest gentlemanairtight, silent and He liked to wear dark clothes.

As Juan Villoro tells in his novel Witnesspeople of the time reprimanded Benito and the way to express their contempt was in the phrase “I’m going to Juárez” or “I’m going to see Juárez’s face”, which was used to mention before going to the bathroom.

In addition to being “envious”, because -according to the story- when he saw the corpse of Maximilian of Habsburg of 1.90, compared to his silhouette, he exclaimed: “He was tall, but he didn’t have a good bodyhad very long and disproportionate legs”, so that srumor spread that he felt embarrassed by his height.

your silhouette appeared on banknotes and textbooksHowever, it does not appear at random, since the Board of Directors of the Bank of Mexico (Banxico), made up of the governor and four deputy governors, are the ones who designate the people who will appear on each bill, for this, the historical contribution is weightedThe same thing happens in books.

If the few photographs that exist of him are compared to the images embodied in invoices and books, It didn’t look as much as they painted ithe had stronger features, a more robust face, and it even seems that his complexion was darker than how he was later portrayed.

However, there is something they haven’t changed at all and that is the taste of wearing dark clothes.

There are several legends that talk about him and how he was supposed to be Benito Juarezin those related to his childhood, he is described as a humble boy who was a shepherd, who played the flute while tending his flock of sheep in his homeland.

However, in his biographical notes, it is mentioned that fled his village due to poverty presented in his region and at no time is it said that he knew how to play the flute or that he had lost a herd.

Juarez was the one promulgated the law on the administration of justice and the organic law of the courts of the nationknown as the famous Juárez Law, in which the privileges of the military and religious were abolished, in addition to eliminating ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

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