September 13 – Día de los Niños Héroes – Child Heroes” or “Heroic Cadets
The day honors the heroes of the 1847 Battle of Chapultepec during the Mexican American War.
The Niños Héroes (in English: Boy Heroes), also known as the Heroic Cadets or Boy Soldiers, were six Mexican teenage military cadets. These cadets died defending Mexico at Mexico City’s Chapultepec Castle (then serving as the Mexican Army’s military academy) from invading U.S. forces in the 13 September 1847 Battle of Chapultepec, during the Mexican–American War. One of the cadets, Juan Escutia, wrapped himself with the Mexican flag and jumped from the roof of the castle to keep it from falling into enemy hands.[1] The Niños Héroes are commemorated by a national holiday on September 13. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/
Description: Attack on Chapultepec, Sept. 13th 1847–Mexicans routed with great loss
Date: 1847 or 1848 | This image is available from the United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3g06207. This media file is in the public domain in the United States.
Battle of Chapultepec
During the battle, six Mexican military cadets refused to fall back when General Bravo finally ordered retreat and fought to the death. These were teniente (lieutenant) Juan de la Barrera and cadets Agustín Melgar, Juan Escutia, Vicente Suárez, Francisco Márquez and Fernando Montes de Oca, all between the ages of 13 and 19. According to legend, the last of the six, Juan Escutia, grabbed the Mexican flag, wrapped it around himself and jumped off the castle point to prevent the flag from falling into enemy hands. In 1967, Gabriel Flores painted a mural depicting “Los Niños Héroes”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chapultepec
Monument To The Heroic Cadets In Chapultepec Park, Mexico City.
The monument to the heroic cadets at the entrance of the Chapultepec Park, the largest park of Mexico City.Photo: BigStockPhoto.com February 3, 2013 by Moreno Novello.
Los Niños Héroes, Child Heroes, Heroic Cadets
Facade of the Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City.
Photo: BigStockPhoto.com / Alberto Loyo
Images of Los Niños Héroes on the 5,000 peso bank note.
The Niños Héroes were:
Juan de la Barrera (age 19), Juan Escutia (age 15–19) (?), Francisco Márquez (age 13), Agustín Melgar (age 15–19) (?), Fernando Montes de Oca (age 15–19) (?) and Vicente Suárez (age 14).
