Siege of Querétaro
Querétaro, Querétaro state, Mexico
What happened
Republican Mexican forces besieged Emperor Maximilian I and his generals Miguel Miramón and Tomás Mejía. During the French intervention in Mexico, Maximilian ruled as emperor with French support. When the French troops left, Maximilian made a last stand in the city of Querétaro. After a siege of more than two months, a colonel opened the city gates to the Republicans, and Maximilian was captured.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It ended the Second Mexican Empire and the French intervention in Mexico. The Mexican Republic was restored.
What came next
Maximilian, Miramón and Mejía were executed on the Cerro de las Campanas hill on 19 June 1867. Fifty years later, in 1917, Mexico's present constitution was written and signed in Querétaro.
Did you know?
Mexico's constitution of 1917, still in force today, was signed in Querétaro on 5 February 1917.
Timeline
- 6 March 1867The siege of Querétaro begins.
- 15 May 1867The city falls and Maximilian is captured.
- 19 June 1867Maximilian and his generals are executed.
- 5 February 1917Mexico's constitution is signed in Querétaro.
- 1996Querétaro's historic centre becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site.