View From Casita Colibrí

At a busy intersection, on a small concrete island, sits the bust of a woman.  Who is she?

This is where Pino Suarez and República both meet Niños Heroes, traffic comes in at “unnatural” angles, and my attention is usually laser focused on attempting to look in the right direction, deciphering which traffic lights do what, and keeping my adrenalin in check as I determine the safest moment to dash across each street.

However, a few days ago, on my return to El Centro, after having walked far up into Colonia Reforma, I decided to take a break and investigate.  Just who is this indigenous woman who presides from her triangular perch.

Meet Brigida Garcia de Juárez, from the mountain village of Guelatao, Oaxaca — mother of Oaxaca’s beloved favorite son and Mexico’s revered former president, Benito Pablo Juárez García.  She died when he was only three years old.

The plaque that rests at the base of the monument reads, “Madre de Benemérito de America – H. Ayuntamiento – 1984.  Mother of the distinguished national hero of modern Mexico.