Famous Mexican Military Leaders

Lázaro Cárdenas had a difficult childhood and supported his family doing odd jobs after his father’s death. He rose to be the president of Mexico and was known for his efforts to implement the objectives of the Mexican Revolution, such as nationalization of industries and making loans available to farmers.

Antonio López de Santa Anna was a Mexican general and politician. His significant contribution in post-independence Mexican politics during the first half of the 19th century has led historians to refer to this period as the Age of Santa Anna. Santa Anna was played by Joaquim de Almeida in a deleted scene in the 1998 film The Mask of Zorro.

Remembered for modernizing the revolutionary forces of Mexico, military leader Plutarco Elías Calles later served his country as its president. Initially a schoolteacher, he later joined Madero’s campaign against dictator Porfirio Diaz. He also established the National Revolutionary Party and was a supporter of social justice and labor rights.

One of the most talked-about guerrilla leaders since Che Guevara, Subcomandante Marcos led the Zapatista National Liberation Army. An excellent student in his youth, he briefly taught and later moved to the Chiapas, where he led a rebellion in support of the indigenous people. He is also a talented poet and author.

Born to indigenous parents, in a poverty-stricken family, Victoriano Huerta became one of the few literate people in his community. He later rose through the ranks of the Mexican army, launched a coup against President Francisco Madero, got him executed, and then took over as the new president.

John Sutter, also known as Don Juan Sutter, was a German-born Swiss colonizer who established Sutter's Fort, or modern-day Sacramento, the capital of California. After one of his employees, a carpenter named James W. Marshall, found gold in his area in 1848, the California Gold Rush began.

Manuel González Flores was a Mexican military general turned politician who served as the 35th President of Mexico from 1880 to 1884. Prior to joining politics, he played significant roles in the Mexican–American War and the Reform War, as an army man. His tenure as the president saw major diplomatic and domestic achievements. 

Zapatista commander Margarita Neri was an integral part of the Mexican Revolution and a true guerrera. Known for her ruthless tactics of slaughter and looting, she led an army of more than 1000 soldiers through Tabasco and Chiapas, and fought like a man. Some believed she was an officer under Zapata.

Part of the Mexican Revolution, soldier and general Felipe Neri led the Liberation Army of the South. He had a unique way of punishing his captives by chopping off their ears, which earned him the nickname Mochaorejas. Though part of Zapatista's forces, he was eventually assassinated by Zapata’s men.