Author Sealtiel Enciso Pérez
On February 10th, we commemorated the 134th anniversary of the birth of one of the youngest Generals that Baja California Sur gave to the Fatherland, a man who, despite being sacrificed in fulfillment of his military duty at a very young age, always had clear principles and values that he would uphold throughout his life, even in the face of death.
Albáñez Domínguez was born in the town of El Pescadero, in the Southern Territory of Baja California on February 10, 1886 (in one of his biographies, the year 1880 is referenced). His parents were very humble, so he had a childhood full of economic limitations. In the account written by Master Eligio Moisés Coronado about this patriot, he mentions that in search of a better future, his family moved to the port of Guaymas, Sonora, where they began another stage of their lives which was always characterized by the work and effort he put into all his activities. As soon as he reached adulthood, he decided to try his luck by working for one of the mining companies in the town of Cananea, Sonora. During his time there, he became aware of the inhumane working conditions of Mexican workers, the unfair and ruthless treatment given to those men who dared to raise their voices demanding fair hours and better conditions for their work. The miserly wages they received, which were far from what was given to foreign employees, were also another reason that fueled his desire to liberate himself from the nefarious yoke to which the owners of these companies subjected them, with the complicity and indifference of the Mexican government.
Gradually, Melitón began to participate in the groups of workers who met in clandestine meetings and read the manifestos of Madero and Flores Magón, through which they felt called to begin organized actions to demand better working conditions and fair wages from their employers. During these events, he had the opportunity to meet another great South Californian, Agustín Olachea Avilés, who was also born in the southern territory of Baja California, in San Venancio, a ranch near El Pescadero. Both worked as laborers in the mines and shared ideals and desires for emancipation from these lamentable conditions in which they and thousands of their compatriots lived.
It was in the year 1906 when the strike erupted at the "Cananea Consolidated Copper Company" (CCCC), owned by an American colonel named William C. Greene. At first, this movement was peaceful and Mexican workers dedicated themselves to suspending activities and concentrating in front of the Company's offices. However, the owner of the mine decided to arm the American workers who worked with him and opened fire on the demonstrators, killing two of them. Immediately, an unequal brawl between Mexican workers and foreigners began, with the former throwing stones and whatever they had at hand, and the latter armed with rifles and pistols, yet still several foreign aggressors were injured and died as a result. Unfortunately, the numerical superiority made the valiant Mexicans flee the town. With the passing of days and faced with the repressive action of the Mexican army supported by American "rangers", they subdued the dissatisfied and imprisoned the ringleaders.
But the flame was ignited. After witnessing these humiliating and unjust events towards humble people, and in the face of the impossibility of having legal and just ways to channel their demands, both Melitón Albáñez and Agustín Olachea joined the military forces that would later be called "Revolutionary" and would lead a great political, social, and military movement that culminated in the expulsion of the dictator Porfirio Díaz Mori from the Presidency of the Republic and the end of that tyranny.
Melitón Albáñez distinguished himself in the military actions as a man of great valor, astute in the arts of war, and above all of a perseverance and honor that made him stand out in all the battles he fought. He had outstanding participations, already being Battalion Chief, in the so-called "Santa Rosa and Santa María battles", for which he was recognized by General Manuel M. Diéguez, a former comrade and participant in the Cananea Strike, who at that time was already General of the Western Division, as his right-hand man and second in command. After the events of the sadly famous "Ten Tragic Days" where President Madero and Vice President Pino Suárez were assassinated, by orders of the satrap and usurper Victoriano Huerta, he joined the military forces that repudiated this event and immediately initiated military actions against the army that supported Huerta. His valor and military intelligence earned him the rank of General of the Revolutionary Army, and as a just retribution for his capabilities, he served as commander of the 13th Battalion of the state of Sonora. With the overthrow of Huerta, he became part of the army commanded by General Alvaro Obregón Salido.
After the failed attempt to unify the revolutionary forces in the Convention of Aguascalientes called by Venustiano Carranza in the months of October and November of 1914, where the Villa, Zapatista and Carrancista forces were unable to agree on an idea of what they wanted the future of the Mexican Republic to be, Melitón Albáñez declared himself loyal to the army led by Obregón and Carranza and was sent to fight against the Villa forces. After the triumph of the Carrancista forces and the de facto government led by this revolutionary leader until 1917, Albáñez Domínguez remained loyal to this cause and was recognized and maintained in the leadership of the battalion he commanded. He was commissioned to carry out pacification actions against the various groups of former soldiers and robbers that were abundant in the states of Jalisco and Michoacán.
After the presidential and senatorial and congressional elections were held in April of 1917, Venustiano Carranza Garza was elected, becoming the legitimate and constitutional president of Mexico. At the beginning of this new era of legislative legality in the country, one of the main actions of the president was to continue disarming the groups that terrorized and assaulted people on the roads, using all the military forces available to him. It was during one of these actions commanded by General Melitón Albáñez Domínguez against the known murderer and robber José Inés García Chávez, nicknamed "El Atila de Michoacán, Jalisco and Guanajuato," that he lost his life. It is said that García Sánchez came to command a gang of almost two thousand killers and bandits who were known as "the painted leopards." They were recognized for their cruelty and savagery, where they did not respect the lives of women, children, or the elderly, and were known for the cruelty with which they tortured and murdered those who did not agree with them or resisted their acts of looting.
It was on October 2, 1917, while Albáñez Domínguez was on a morning patrol, around 5:30 a.m., near a town in the state of Michoacán, that he was ambushed and killed by the hordes of José Inés García. He was 32 years old at the time.
Baja California Sur, like almost all of the Mexican Republic, pays tribute to the life and work of this noble patriot. His name has been given to a farming community near the city of La Paz (about 78 kilometers away), streets, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools in this Capital city as well as in the town of Todos Santos. It is the duty of authorities and those who have the opportunity, time and motivation to delve into the history of southern Baja California to disseminate the lives of these great men, who in times of great trials and dangers were the spearhead, example and actors of events that culminated in giving us a country in better conditions and circumstances than those in which they lived.
Bibliography:
NARANJO, Francisco (1935). Diccionario biográfico Revolucionario (Imprenta Editorial "Cosmos" edición). México. ISBN 968-805-293-0
cronicassudcalifornianas.blogspot.com Mtro. Eligio Moisés Coronado
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