The Benemérito de las Américas is present in the Mexican imagination in many ways, throughout history, in its monuments throughout the national territory and even in colloquial phrases, such as the famous “He did what the wind did to Juárez ”.
What does the saying “He did what the wind did to Juárez” mean and where does it come from?
First of all, the phrase serves to denote firmness of character and temperance; and although its origin is uncertain, there are several theories about it.
The most accepted is that it arises from the representation of the national hero in the mural entitled Juárez, symbol of the Republic in the face of French interventionmade in the National Museum of History, inside the Chapultepec Castle, by the artist from Chihuahua, Antonio González Orozco, in 1972.
In it, the forts of Loreto and Guadalupe were represented on the left side, above, under the Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl volcanoes; the Chapultepec Castle, in the center; and the Cerro de las Campanas, in Querétaro, where Maximiliano was shot.
Likewise, while below the Mexican and French armies face off in a bloody battle; In the upper part, in a preponderant way, the figure of Benemérito stands out, who firmly holds the Mexican flag that flutters in the wind while he does not move a hair.
About Juárez’s childhood
Another more lively theory is the anecdote collected in the biographical book A Zapotec Indian named Benito Juárez, by journalist and writer Fernando Benítez. There he narrates an episode from the childhood of the historical character, in which the young man was supposedly sailing a small boat accompanied by his friends, in a river near Guelatao.
However, a storm began to forcefully capsize the boat and while the friends jumped into the water to flee, Juárez endured the storm even for the rest of the night. The next day, the residents found out about the feat and began to popularize the phrase.
“He did what the wind did to Juárez”, on the hill of Las Campanas
Finally, the last version and perhaps the easiest to believe, is the one related to the statue of Benemérito erected in the Monument to Juárez, which was built in 1967 on the hill of Las Campanas, in Querétaro, right where he was captured and later shot. Maximilian of Habsburg.
The statue, the work of the sculptor Juan Francisco Olaguíbel, is 13 meters high, and despite the fact that it is constantly impacted by strong winds, to date it has not suffered considerable damage.