Full text of speech (in Spanish) here, which took place on September 13 in a ceremony commemorating the 163rd anniversary of the Battle of Chapultepec during the Mexican War. U.S. media coverage here in Associated Press article.
No surprise that the U.S. media focused on President Calderon’s framing of the war as an “unjust military aggression motivated by clearly imperialistic interests.” In addition, Calderon stated Mexicans deserved some blame: “We lost because of the invasion and expansionist desires of our enemy, but also because of divisions among Mexicans… Thus, while many Mexicans fought to the death in the war with the United States, others simply watched the American troops go by without standing up to them… We only prosper when we are united…That is the great lesson of our history.”
But, the most important message, I thought, was Calderon’s reminder of the sacrifice made by the six young cadets (the “child heroes”) who defended Chapultepec and the importance of young people to the future and prosperity of the country. Referring to Mexico as a country “under construction” (“Patria en construcción”), Calderon said:
“The child heroes gave us an example of how young people are capable of assuming the highest of responsibilities with interest, maturity and love for country. For this reason, today, we as a nation have the responsibility and duty to realize the conditions that will allow all of our young people to prepare and give their best, to succeed in life, in school and university, and in sports, science, the arts, and in military service, and in any other field of their calling.” Translation mine.
Given the huge challenges facing Mexico at the moment, including the horrible drug wars, I can’t think of any other way to frame the anniversary of the Mexican War and its relevancy today.
The Mexican-American War Blog 