Santos Degollado Collection
Scope and Contents
Correspondence, literary productions, and decrees relating to Degollado's military and political career. Correspondence pertains primarily to Mexican military and political affairs, mostly from 1856 to 1861. Several letters in the collection, dated after Degollado's death, are addressed to Jesús González Ortega. A few items relate to the 1876 controversy between Santos Degollado's son, Mariano Degollado, and the son of Benito Juárez, also called Benito Juárez, concerning blame for the death of the elder Degollado. Literary productions describe Degollado's life and death. Two decrees dated 1858 and 1859 are from his tenure as Secretary of War and Navy and General-in-Chief of the Federal Army.
The materials are in Spanish.
Notes on Degollado-Juárez Dispute
- Mariano Degollado wrote to El Monitor imputing responsibility for his father's death to an unnamed, highly placed official. (This letter is not in the collection)
- Benito Juárez (son) sent González and Chavero to ask M. Degollado to defend his statement on the field of honor. They summarized the results of this meeting in a letter to Juárez
- Juárez wrote to the Federalista and made public his view of the situation and events
- González and Chavero wrote toEl Monitor and explained the peaceful resolution to the dispute. (Juárez backed down). According to the text of this letter, they also wrote to theFederalista
Dates
- Creation: 1856-1907
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1856-1861
Language of Materials
Spanish
Access Restrictions
Unrestricted.
Use Restrictions
Standard copyright restrictions apply.
Biographical Sketch
Military and political leader. Born 1811 in Guanajuato; died 1861 on the plains of Salazar, Mexico State. Scribe for a notary and for the Haceduría of the Cathedral in Morelia (1828-?). Imprisoned twice for insurgency (1836-1839?). Secretary of the Junta Subdirectora de Estudios of Michoacan and President of the Junta Directiva de Fomento de Artesanos (1846). Secretary of the Colegio de San Nicolas. Fought against Santa Anna and became a General. Deputy for the District of Michoacan at the Constitutional Congress of 1856-57. Governor of Jalisco (1857). Fought on the side of Benito Juarez in defense of the 1857 Constitution. Minister of War and Navy, General in Chief of the Federal Army (1858). Noted for his great organizational skill but not his military strategy, Degollado suffered many military defeats. His armies finally were victorious under the direction of Jesús González Ortega. Involved in the confiscation for military purposes of funds being sent out of the country by businessmen, Degollado was discharged from military command. He obtained reinstatement to avenge the execution of Melchor Ocampo and was killed in ambush by the forces of Leonardo Márquez on June 15, 1861.
Full Extent
1 inch
Abstract
Correspondence, literary productions, and decrees relating to Mexican military and political leader Santos Degollado's life and career.
Arrangement
The collection is organized in six series: Correspondence; Literary Productions; Research notes on military operations, 1858-1861; Decrees; Notes; and Miscellaneous.
The documents are arranged chronologically within each series.
Other Finding Aids
The following guide is available in the Benson Latin American Collection Rare Books Reference: Castañeda, Carlos Eduardo, 1896-1958. Guide to the Latin American Manuscripts in the University of Texas Library. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1939.
Acquisitions Information
The Santos Degollado Collection forms part of the Genaro García Collection, which was purchased by the University of Texas in 1921 from the heirs of Genaro García.
Alternate Form Available
The collection is also available on microfilm.
Publications
- García, Genaro, 1867-1920 Documentos inéditos ó muy raros para la historia de México (volume 11) Mexico City: Vda. de C. Bouret, 1907.
General
Notes on Degollado-Juárez Dispute
Processing Information
Described by the Benson Latin American Collection's Mexican Archives Project in December 1993.
Prepared by the Mexican Archives Project January 6, 1995.
- Title
- Santos Degollado:
- Status
- Edited Full Draft
- Subtitle
- An Inventory of His Collection at the Benson Latin American Collection
- Author
- Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection
- Date
- 2001
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Revision Statements
- August 15, 2002: Edited with XMetaL3 by Bob Stewart according to instructions in Editing TARO EAD XML Finding Aids with XMetaL.
- Tue Jul 22 14:57:51 CDT 2003: urn:taro:utexas.blac.00015 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (20030505).
- 2020 March: Date normalization by Janette Nunez.
- 2021 April: Edited by Carla O. Alvarez to fix compliance check errors to prepare for the migration to new TARO website.
- 2021 November: Edited by Devon Murphy to update control access terms and formatting based on the TARO Control Access List.
- 2025 July: Revised by Ryan Sullivant to fix validation errors prior to ingestion into ArchivesSpace.
Repository Details
Part of the Benson Latin American Collection, The University of Texas at Austin Repository
2300 Red River Street
Austin Texas 78712 United States
(512) 495-4578
bensonspecialcollections@austin.utexas.edu