The month of July in Mexican history Pt.2

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July 15
1867 - President Benito Juárez enters Mexico City in triumph, after fighting the French and defeating the supporters of Maximilian. This signals the start of the Mexican Republic.

July 16
1826 - The United Kingdom finally recognizes the Independence of Mexico. Independence from Spain had been "achieved" or "granted" (depending on which side of the Atlantic you come from) in 1821.

1944 - Mexico's 201 Air Squadron leaves for training in the U.S. before entering the campaign against the Japanese on April 30, 1945.

July 18
1872 - President Benito Juárez dies while still in office. Considered one of Mexico's finest ever politicians, Juárez came from a humble background in the state of Oaxaca. He rises through the ranks of state politics to become State Governor and enters the national political arena as Justice Minister in 1855. He becomes national President in 1858. Reelected in 1861, he faces an international diplomatic crisis that same year when he announces a suspension of foreign debt payments. Settlements are reached with England and Spain but France invades Mexico the following year. Subsequently, Juárez leads the fight against Emperor Maximilian and regains the presidency in 1867.

July 20
1520 - The Spanish Conquistadors, led by Hernan Cortes, enter the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan and begin to destroy the city, house by house.

1923 - Francisco "Pancho" Villa dies in Hidalgo de Parral, Chihuahua. He was one of the most formidable figures in the Mexican Revolution. On one occasion in 1916, he even crossed into the U.S. to attack the fort in Columbus, New Mexico, in retaliation for the U.S.'s recognition of Carranza as President.

July 22
1800 - Manuel Lopez Cotilla is born in Guadalajara. Lopez Cotilla becomes a distinguished politician and educator, and is responsible for developing noteworthy textbooks.

July 23
1810 - Father Miguel Hidalgo makes known to his fellow conspirators (Allende, Aldama, Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, Abasolo and others) his plans for starting a rebellion against Spain, designed to result in an independent Mexico.

July 24
1888 - By decree, the city formerly known as Paso del Norte in Chihuahua is renamed Ciudad Juárez, in honor of Benito Juárez.
July 26
1829 - Spanish expeditionary forces, 4000 strong and led by General Isidro Barradas, land on the coast of Veracruz hoping to reestablish Spanish control over Mexico. They surrender September 11.

July 27
1529 - Charles V of Spain grants Hernan Cortes the land on which the National Palace stands today, in the center of Mexico City.

1780 - Anastasio Bustamante, who became President of Mexico on three occasions during the nineteenth century, is born in Jiquilpan, Michoacan.

July 28
1957 - A strong earthquake, measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale, rocks Mexico City early in the morning. Some 60 residents lose their lives. A well-known monument on Avenida Reforma, the "Angel of Independence", falls off its pedestal, crashing onto the road below.

July 30
1811 - Father Miguel Hidalgo, the leader of the Mexican independence movement, is executed in the city of Chihuahua. Hidalgo began the insurgent movement against the Spanish in the early hours of September 16, 1810. He arrived in Guadalajara in December of that same year, and his proclamation guaranteeing freedom for slaves was the earliest issued anywhere in the western world.