MELAQUE STREET NAMES
(A Lesson in History)
Many Streets, Avenues, and Roads in towns across Mexico have been named for individuals who have contributed to Mexico's (often turbulent and violent) political history. In fact, many towns carry these names to remind people of the struggles the country went through over many years to achieve it's current democratic stability. This is also true of street names in San-Patricio, Melaque and Villa Obregón. Please use this STREET MAP to reference the following street names.
ADOLFO LOPEZ MATEOS 1909-1970
The main street which separates the villages of San Patricio and Melaque passes the main square to the West as it links Mex 200 highway to the beach is named for Adolfo López Mateos. He was elected as president in 1958 in the first vote by women in a National election. Like President Cárdenas, he redistributed millions of acres of farmland and in 1962 nationalized all foreign power companies.
ALVARO OBREGON 1880-1928
The street that separates the village of Villa Obregón with San-Patricio from Mex 200 highway to the beach is named after Alvaro Obregón. He was the leading general to new president Venustiano Carranza who fought against Emiliano Zapata for over seven years in southern Mexico. In 1920 he legally assumed the Presidency of Mexico, but he was assassinated two weeks after being elected again in 1928. The local village of Villa Obregon is named after him.
BENITO JUAREZ 1806-1872
This avenue runs between San Patricio and Melaque on the south side of the park by the taxi stands. Born a Indiginous Zopotec, Benito Juárez rose as a lawyer and later became president during Mexico's three year civil war which ended on January 1, 1861. He was later disposed by Austrian Archduke Maximilian who was crowned Emperor of Mexico in June, 1864 by French Emperor Napoleon 3rd. Three years later (May 1867) Juárez returned from the hills and defeated Maximilian's army at Querétaro. He executed Maximilian by firing squad ending the "French Intervention" in Mexico. His picture is on the $20 Peso paper bill.
EMILIANO ZAPATA 1879-1919
This avenue in Villa Obregón joins Ave. Morelos at Calle Alvaro Obregón and runs East to Laguna del Tule. Emiliano Zapata, a farmer and horse trader organized indigena guerrillas to remove ancestral lands from rich landowners (hacendados) in south Mexico. He became a national folk hero. Many towns and cities throughout Mexico are named after him. There are two located along the Costalegre, one at Mex-200 km0 (El Ranchito) and the other at km40.5, 3.5km South of Cuixmala. Mx-200 hwy passing through Melaque is also called Boulevard Emiliano Zapata.
FRANCISCO I. MADERO 1873-1913
This street runs only one block between the beach and avenue Valentín Gómez Farías at the corner by the disco. Francisco I. Madero campaigned against general Don Porfirio Días in the federal election of 1910. On November 20th. 1910, Madero, from a safe exile in the United States (Texas), called for a revolution against the brutal dictator Días. Literally millions of Mexicans rallied this call. Unfortunately, he was assassinated in 1911.
FRANCISCO VILLA 1878-1923
This street in Villa Obregón straddles from the beach to one block short of the Mex 200 highway, parallels Calle Alvaro Obregón which divides San Patricio and Villa Obregón one block to the West. Francisco (Pancho) Villa was a Chihuahua ranch hand, miner and cattle rustler, who started raiding towns and dynamiting railroads while helping the revolution. He later joined Francisco I. Madero in 1910 to capture Ciudad Juárez. After Madero's successful revolt, Pancho returned to civilian life and operated a butcher shop. After Orozco rebelled against Madero, he returned to the field of battle at Columbus, New Mexico. In 1920 he surrendered his troops to Adolfo de la Huerta, and retired to Hacienda Canutillo. He and his bodyguards were ambushed and killed at Parral on July 23, 1923.
IGNACIO VALLARTA
This two block street in Melaque runs from the beach to Avenue Morelos after crossing Ave. Valentín Gómez Farías. The city of Puerto Vallarta was named after Luis Ignacio Vallarta who was one of the most important Mexican statesman of the 19th century. He helped write the nation's constitution in 1857 and was minister of foreign relations under President Portfirio Días. Ignacio served as governor of the state of Jalisco, and became chief justice of Mexico's Supreme Court.
JOSEFA ORTÍZ DE DOMÍNQUEZ 1768-1829
Two streets named Calle Corregidora are in Villa Obregon. The first is one block East of Alvaro Obregon, between Juarez and Emiliano Zapata. The other is four blocks East of Alvaro Obregon, between Jesus Moret and Alberto Macias. Both are named for Doña Josefa Ortíz de Domínquez "Heroine of the Independence of Mexico". Born in Morelia Michoacán on September 8th, 1768, she graduated from Colegio de las Vizcainas in 1791. Josefa married Miguel Domínguez and moved to Querétaro where he was the magistrate (el Corregidor) at the Government Palace. As a supporter of the Mexican revolution, Josefa was instrumental in planning the rebellion against Spain for independence. She organized insurgent meetings in her home and personally financed the rebels. When the conspirators were betrayed and their plot was uncovered, Dona Josefa managed to send a warning to Miguel Hidalgo and Ignacio Allende. Hildalgo escaped to issue his famous "Grito de Dolores" which signaled the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence. Josefa was arrested on September 13th, 1810 by the Spanish crown, was tried and found guilty in Mexico City, and was confined to convents until the war ended. She died at 61 in Mexico City on March 2nd, 1829, so never got to see the post Independence Government draft the New Constitution at Querétaro on February 5th, 1917, and also proclaim Querétaro a Mexican State. Josefa is honored in Mexico City with a statue in a park with her name, and in 1969 a Twenty Peso bill was printed in her honor. She will always be remembered as "La Corregidora" (the magistrates wife). Comment: She died near Mexico City, but was re-inturned at Querétaro. She is considered the soul of the independencia. Calle Corregidora is also called Privada Berlin.
JOSE MARIA MORELOS 1765-1815
This avenue passes along the North side of central park as it straddles between San-Patricio and Melaque. José María Morelos y Pavon was a Mestizo (African Heritage) student of Hildalgo who ran a revolutionary government for four years in the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero. He was caught at Tomalaca and was executed in front of the Palacio Municipal on December 22nd,1815 at San Cristobal Ecatepec (North-East of México City). This building is now the Casa de Morelos Museum. The state of Morelos was named after him. He is commemorated by having his picture on the Fifty Peso bill.
JUAN ESCUTIA 1830?-1847
Calle Juan Escutia is located in San Patricio running parallel between Pedro Moreno and Alvaro Obregon and accessed off the East end of Avenida Morelos. Juan Escutia was one of six young military cadets who were the last to fall in a futile defense of Chapultepec Castle against US marines in the Spanish-American war on September 13, 1847. These cadets were honored with the name "Niños Héroes" (the boy heroes'). They were memorialized throughout Mexico by street names, monuments (one at Chapultepec Park), $5000 Peso banknote and $50 Peso coin. In Tepic (Juans birthplace) there is a Colonial House Museum called "Casa de Juan Escutia". Juan was 16 when he died. The other five cadets were Juan de la Barrera, Agustín Melgar, Francisco Márquez, Vicente Suárz and Fernando Montes de Oca. The famous 'Halls of Montezuma' are part of Chapultepec Castle.
LAZARO CARDENAS 1895-1970
Lázaro Cárdenas was General for President Plutarco Elías Calles and as the former governor of Michoacán was elected President in 1934. In just 6 years he was instrumental in returning millions of acres of farmland to Campesinos, that was originally granted in the 1917 post revolutionary constitution. In 1938 he expropriated all foreign owned oil companies (mostly British) and created the national oil corporation Petróleso Mexicanos (Pemex) which continues to run all Mexican gas and oil operations to this day. He will always be remembered as the President of the people.Comment: african heritage
MIGUEL HILDALGO 1753-1811
This street parallels Adolfo Lopez Mateos on the south side of the Jardín as it links the beach with Mex 200 hwy. Miguel Hildalgo was the parish priest from pueblo Dolores Hildalgo, Guanajuato who on September 16, 1810 ignited an uprising against the Spanish crown for Independence with his famous speech "GRITO" - Viva México! This first call for independence failed when Hildalgo was captured, defrocked and executed in Chihuahua January 1811.
PINO SUAREZ
This street in San Patricio runs only one block between avenues Ramon Corona and Valentín Gómez Farías one block south of Clemente Orozco. There is also Calle Pino in west Melaque runs only 2 blocks between the beach and the canal, and is the third street past the broken down hotel Melaque. José M. Pino Suarez was Vice President to Francisco I. Madero. He was assassinated along with Madero by dictator Victoriano Huerta on February 22, 1913 in Mexico City.
PEDRO MORENO 1775-1817
There are two Pedro Moreno streets. The first in San Patricio, starts at Ave. Gomez Farias and leads six blocks North to the Mx-200 Hwy. The second is in Villa Obregon, four blocks East of Calle Alvaro Obregon. It runs North from the beach six blocks to Calle Alberto Macias. Pedro Moreno was an insurgent in the Mexican war of independence, who fought with Javier Mina against the Spanish. He was killed in battle at El Venadito ranch on October 27, 1817. The Jalisco city of Lagos de Moreno was named in his honor.
RAMON CORONA 1837-1889
This avenue runs from Calle Alvaro Obregon in San Patricio West through the foods stalls and ends at Calle Ignacio Vallarta in Melaque. This street was named for Jalisco born Ramón Corona (Lake Chapala -1837), who as a General, played important roles in the French Intervention and in the Reform War. It was General Corona who formally accepted Emperor Maximillian's sword after his defeat at Querétaro. Ramón was interned at Guadalajara in 1889.
VALENTÍN GÓMEZ FARÍAS 1781-1858
This main avenue parallels the beach through Melaque and San-Patricio, all the way to the Village of Villa Obregon. Valentín Gómez Farías was a prominent Mexican statesman. He studied medicine at the university of Guadalajara, obtained his physician's degree in1807 and was appointed professor of the university in 1810. Joining the cause for Independence, he became very active in the political affairs of his country. By 1822 he was a congressman, then later a senator. He was twice elected Vice President under General Antonio López de Santa Anna, once in 1834 and again in 1846. He was attacked for measures against church property ownership, and his liberal views on secular schools. He twice had to leave the country for fear of his life, in 1835 after refusing a bribe from the clergy, and again in 1840 after leading a revolution attempt. A very respected, but controversial leader, he is recognized for his efforts to establish Federalism and modernize Mexico. There are many books and biographies' written about him.
VENUSTIANO CARRANZA 1859-1920
This street connects Mex 200 highway with Avenida Valentín Gómez Farías to the south. Venustano Carranza was México's new leader by the new constitution of 1917 along with general A. Obregon, fought against Emiliano Zapata near Cuaulla in 1919. Venustiano ordered the assassination of Zapata and his bodyguards on April 10, 1919, but he himself was assassinated the following year on May 21, 1920.
VICENTE GUERRERO 1872-1831
This avenue in Villa Obregón connects with Ave. V. Gomez Farias and runs East to Laguna del Tule where it joins with Calle Vicente Guerrero. He followed in Morelos' fight against Spain along with a Crillo, Agustín de Iturbide, commander of the revolutionary army. This push against the crown was successful and Independence was declared on September 21, 1821 after his army rode triumphantly into Mexico City. Iturbide was crowned as Emperor Agustín 1st, on July 21, 1822 by the bishop of Guadalajara. Vicente became president in 1829 and the state of Guerrero was named after him. Comment: African Heritage
NOTES: Streets normally run North and South, and are numbered from the beach North (ascending). The even numbers on Streets are on the East and odd are West. Avenues usually run East and West, and are numbered ascending from the West. The even numbers are on the North side of Avenidas, with odd on the beach (South) side. All beachfront hotels on Avenida Gómez Farías are odd numbered.
Street Names can often be confusing because abbreviations are often used. For example, Av. Farías may be used for Avenida Gómez Farías. Some streets have more than one name. Eg. Avenida A. Salgado Avente is the same street as Avenida Abel Salgado Velasco. Avenida de Las Palmas is also called Primareas. Then there is the problem of poor or missing street signs!
San Patricio Melaque History Maritime