José María Liceaga

José María Liceaga
Member of the Zitacuaro Council
Member of the Congress of Anáhuac
Personal details
Born	(1780-02-26)February 26, 1780 Romita, Guanajuato, Viceroyalty of New Spain
Died	January 2, 1818(1818-01-02) (aged 37) Romita, Guanajuato, Viceroyalty of New Spain
Cause of death	Assassination
Parents	Manuel de Liceaga María Josefa Reyna
Education	Colegio de la Purísima Concepción
Profession	Hacendado, Insurgent Fighter, Politician
Military career
Allegiance	Mexican Insurgency
Branch	Insurgent Army
Service years	1810 - 1817
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Battles/wars	Mexican War of Independence Battle of Monte de las Cruces Battle of Aculco Battle of Calderón Bridge Capture of Valladolid

José María Liceaga (1780 – 1818) was a soldier, medical doctor and landowner from New Spain who was a key figure in the Mexican War of Independence. Born in 1780 in Romita, Guanajuato, he saw rising tensions between Mexico and Spain. He was the representative of the province of Guadalajara, and was one of the signatories of the Solemn Act of the Declaration of Independence of Northern America and the Constitutional Decree for the Freedom of Mexican America. He was also one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence for Mexico. In 1818, he was assassinated due to a loan that he had avoided paying.

Early life

Liceaga was born in 1780 in Romita, Guanajuato. He was the son of Manuel de Liceaga and María Josefa Reyna. He studied medicine in hopes of becoming a doctor. After finishing his studies, he decided to go join the army.

Military career

In 1810, after the outbreak of the Mexican War of Independence, he joined up with Miguel Hidalgo, and was appointed lieutenant colonel. On October 30, 1810, he took part in a battle at Monte de las Cruces, known as the Battle of Calderón Bridge. Miguel's troops confronted and defeated the royalist soldiers. However, Liceaga decided to take over after Miguel's execution and continued through northwestern Mexico. In 1817, he decided to retire from the military.

Political career

Liceaga was appointed as member of the Zitacuaro Council. In 1813, he served as the representative of Guadalajara in the Congress of Chilpancingo.

Assassination

In 1818, Liceaga was assassinated by Captain Juan Ríos, who at the time was under the command of insurgent commander Miguel Borja. Historians later determined that the reason for Liceaga's assassination was Rios loaning Liceaga 1,000 pesos, which Liceaga failed to pay back.

Legacy

A statue was built in Romita in honor of him on behalf of the mayor.