Juan Francisco Azcárate y Ledesma

Who was Juan Francisco Azcárate y Ledesma?

Juan Francisco Azcárate y Lezama was a lawyer, a Mexico City councilman, and a leader of the movement for Mexican independence from Spain.

Azcárate y Ledesma, born in Mexico City, was a Criollo and a lawyer for rich clients. Shortly after obtaining his license to practice law, he became a lawyer at the Academia Teórico-Práctica de Jurisprudencia, and later its vice-president.

In 1808, he became a regidor in the city government of Mexico City. News of the French occupation of Spain was received in Mexico on June 23, 1808, and the following July 14, news of the abdication of the Spanish king in favor of Napoleon was also received. On July 19, 1808, Azcárate, along with councilman Francisco Primo de Verdad y Ramos presented a plan to form a provisional, autonomous government of New Spain, with the current viceroy, José de Iturrigaray, at its head. The justification for this was that the mother country was now occupied by foreign troops, and the royal family was being held prisoner. The plan was accepted by the viceroy and the Cabildo, but not by the Audiencia. It was also vehemently opposed by the Peninsulares.