Benito Juarez, a Zapotec Indian, was born in a small village in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. Although he was an orphan and a runaway, he received an education through the efforts of Antonio Salanueva, who was a devoutly religious man. Juarez received his degree from a seminary. Concerned with the status of Indians, who were exploited, he first entered politics in the 1830s.
At this time, Mexican society was plagued by problems that seemed unsolvable. Juarez initiated reform programs following his election as governor of Oaxaca. These programs has a great impact and did much to help the plight of the poor.
But Juarez had political enemies, especially Santa Anna, who had Juarez exiled to New Orleans, where he lived in poverty. When the Liberals triumphed in Mexico, they recalled Juarez to serve as Minister of Justice. He wrote a law concerning ecclesiastical and military tribunals; these laws limited his powers. In 1857, he was elected Chief Justice of the Mexican Supreme Court.
A year later Juarez assumed the Presidency but was forced by the nation's civil war to establish a government in Veracruz. In 1860, the government was able to return to power, and it moved to Mexico City. But Juarez's hold on power was soon threatened by a French invasion, and he had to flee the capital again. Taking refuge in northern Mexico, the government directed its campaign until 1867. Juarez ran for reelection and won in 1871 but died before his plans for reform could fully be implemented. Despite the domestic and foreign forces opposing him, Juarez is credited by many historians as a main force in forging modern Mexico.
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