José María Jesús Carbajal

Who was José María Jesús Carbajal?

José María Jesús Carbajal was a Mexican freedom fighter, who opposed the Centralist government installed by Antonio López de Santa Anna. Carbajal was a direct descendant of Canary Islands settlers who emigrated from their islands to San Antonio, Texas in the 18th Century. As a teenager in San Antonio, he was mentored by Stephen F. Austin, and came under the spiritual guidance of Alexander Campbell while attending school in Virginia. He was a surveyor by trade, and a politician as a result of historical events. Carbajal married into the influential De Leon family of Victoria, Texas. He called himself "a true Mexican" whose allegiance lay with the people of Mexico. Carbajal opposed the dictatorship and political machine of Santa Anna. He turned his back on the Republic of Texas and moved to Mexico, where he conducted guerrilla warfare against Mexico's Centralist government. Carbajal was active in the establishment of the Republic of the Rio Grande, and made an unsuccessful attempt at establishing the break-away Republic of Sierra Madre. Indicted twice in the United States for his activities, Carbajal was never convicted in a court of law.