Full name Margarita Eustaquia Maza Parada, she was born in 1826 in Oaxaca and was the adoptive daughter of an Italian farmer living in Mexico and his Mexican wife; both, prominent figures of the society of the time.
As was the custom in those times, Margarita’s family hired young Zapotec women as domestic servants and before she was adopted, Josefa Juárez García, Benito Juárez’s older sister, had worked with the family, so she later helped him his brother to get a job with the Mazas, with whom he developed a close relationship.
Years later, thanks to his intelligence and dedication, Benito Juárez would graduate in law, would have a brilliant career and in 1841 would be appointed judge.
Margarita Maza marries at the age of 17
Despite the age difference between her and Juárez, who was already 37 years old and had two children from previous relationships; both were married in 1843. They had 12 children, of whom one boy and six girls survived to adulthood.
According to her biographers, Margarita always greatly admired her husband and despite their notable differences, supported him wholeheartedly. In fact, she shared Juárez’s republican, liberal, and anticlerical ideas. Finally, it should be mentioned that she was a woman of great intelligence, initiative and determined character.
Mexico in the 19th century: a troubled country
Curiously, Maza’s life coincided with the most complex moments in the history of our country: the empire of Santa Anna; the Ayutla Revolution and the Reform War; and the Second Empire.
Thus, in 1853, when Antonio López de Santa Anna came to power and Juárez was exiled; Margarita faced persecution from the Santanista army but was able to escape thanks to the help she received at different farms in the region that supported the Juarista struggle. Later, she would open a store in Villa de Etla to survive and support her children.
The Ayutla Revolution and the Reform War
Between the years of the Ayutla Revolution (1854) and the Reform War (1858), she continued to be persecuted, and not only her; but all those women who supported the liberals. Even when Juárez ascended to the presidency (1860), Margarita had to cross the Oaxacan sierra with her eight children to join Juárez in Veracruz, where he had established the seat of his government.
Second French Intervention
Starting in 1861, difficult times continued for Margarita and her children between Veracruz, Mexico City and then in northern Mexico, where she moved with Juárez. Despite the war, Maza organized a women’s board in Monterrey seeking to obtain blood supplies for hospitals and promoted cultural activities as a way of obtaining funds for the victims of the armed struggle.
Margarita Maza shines with her own light
Already in the Second Empire of Maximilian, in 1864, Margarita Maza took refuge in the United States where she remained until the triumph of the Republic in 1867. In those years, he served as Mexico’s representative before President Andrew Johnson and partly thanks to his presence, the US government avoids recognizing Maximiliano.
The triumph of the republic
In 1867, with the triumph of the republic, he finally returned to Mexico and his presence was interpreted as a symbol of victory. So, upon her arrival in Mexico City she is honored and even named The real mother of the town.
Unfortunately, a year later she falls seriously ill and is believed to be cancer. However, despite her condition, she is dedicated to philanthropy.
Finally, Margarita Maza died on January 2, 1871 at the age of 45. After her death, she was honored as an eminent woman by broad sectors of society (except the Church). Juárez would survive her by only one year, as she died in 1872.