Memorias de Concepción Lombardo de Miramón. Una reflexión sobre el proyecto político fallido de Maximiliano de Habsburgo, Napoleón III y el partido conservador mexicano

• Main Author: Ute Seydel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) 2009-07-01
• Series: Anuario de Letras Modernas
• Subjects: segundo Imperio; Benito Juárez; Miguel Miramón; memoria colectiva; memoria individual
• Online Access: http://revistas.filos.unam.mx/index.php/anuariodeletrasmodernas/article/view/677

Concepción Lombardo de Miramón reconstructs, interpretes and signifies in her Memorias the events related to the War of Reform, the French Intervention and the Second Empire in Mexico. She describes the conflicts between the Mexican liberals and conservatives and includes reflections on the lack of political experience and on the wrong decisions made by Maximilian of Habsburg which ultimately led to the failure of the Empire and the execution not only of the emperor himself but also of the Mexican generals Miguel Miramón and Tomás Mejía. This article reveals that Lombardo de Miramón’s point of view is determined by the idiosyncrasy of a criolla woman who defends the traditions and values based on Catholicism. This contribution highlights, too, the intention of Miguel Miramón’s widow to emphasize the moral integrity and patriotism of her husband who defended the national sovereignty and opposed himself to the project of other conservatives to invite a foreign aristocrat to be the Mexican emperor, but is nevertheless considered in the collective memory as a traitor and anti-hero.