Martín Javier Mina y Larrea



Martín Javier Mina y Larrea (July 1, 1789 - November 11, 1817), known as "El Mozo", was a Spanish lawyer and army officer who later became a Mexican revolutionary figure.

Biography
Francisco Mina was born in Otao, Navarre, to Juan Mina, a wealthy farmer, and Maria Lerea. Mina studied Latin, mathematics and humanities at the local Seminary while living in Pamplona with his uncles, Clemente and Simona Espoz. At the age of 18, he left Otao to continue his education in Zaragoza, where he began studying law at the university.

During the Peninsular War in early 1808, Spain was under occupation by French troops, prompting Mina to flee to the hills and forests of his native region. There he formed a small guerrilla force of ten men. Under his leadership, the small force quickly grew to over 200 men. Mina launched raids on the French and succeeded in capturing arms, ammunition, and horses. These additional resources allowed Mina to expand his small army to over 1,200 men and 150 mounted cavalry. Finding new strength in these numbers, he began to engage in full-scale military actions. Mina was captured in March 1810 and sent toVincennes prison in France. He was finally released in April 1814, concurrent with the collapse of Napoleon's government.

On returning to Spain he was made a colonel of the Navarre Hussars by King Ferdinand VII. However, Mina didn't sympathize with the King since he had abolished the democratic government created under the Constitution of 1812. After a planned coup against the King failed, Mina fled to France; from Bayona he traveled to England where he met Servando Teresa de Mier.

Servando Teresa de Mier drafted him to fight the absolute monarchy of Ferdinand VII in his colonies.

A few English lords made Mina's voyage to America possible. In May 1816, 20 Spanish officers and an Italian and English crew left Liverpool. Mina sailed on two ships. First, Mina and his crew sailed from Baltimore to Puerto Principe and from Puerto Principe to Galveston where they arrived November 24, 1816. He then moved to Mexico. In April 1817, Mina took a force of about 250 men southwards in ships provided by the privateer, Louis-Michel Aury. They arrived at Soto la Marina, Tamaulipas. His plan was to join the southern Mexican revolutionaries led by Guadalupe Victoria and others.

Mina started the resistance war, a period of the Mexican war of independence. On May 24 of 1817, Mina left his base with 300 men, moving to several villages on his way to Fuerte del Sombrero, a fortification defended by Pedro Moreno. Mina published a letter stating that he was fighting the King's tyranny and not the Spanish empire.

On August 1, marshal Pascual Liñán arrived at the fort with a powerful army. Mina escaped to Fuerte de los Remedios to help José Antonio Torres.

In October of 1817, Mina was captured and Pedro Moreno was killed in El Venadito ranch. The prisoner was presented to Colonel Orrantia, who traveled with him to Silao. Eventually, Mina was sent to Pascual Liñán. On November 11 of 1817 he was executed by firing squad on a hill close to the Fuerte de los Remedios region of the Sierra de Pénjamo by the Zaragoza Battalion. He was 27 years old.