Empress Carlota and Margarita Maza de Juarez: Two radical visions of Mexico
Photo credits: Empress Carlota. Courtesy of the Museo Nacional de Historia de Chapultepec.
On a lovely night in June 1840, a baby girl was born to the king and queen of Belgium, Leopold and Louise Marie of Orleans. She was their fourth child and only daughter. Her earliest home was the Castle of Laeken in the forested countryside near Brussels. She had a good education, spoke French and German and read widely in history and classics. She would marry the archduke of Austria at a young age — a decision that would lead her to great heights and great failure. Her name was Princess Charlotte of Belgium.
In 1862, the archduke was approached with a request from Mexican conservatives and Napoleon III to become emperor of Mexico, a country already occupied by the French army. Charlotte, bored by inaction and wanting a title in keeping with her royal lineage, encouraged him to accept. They would become Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico and Empress Carlota and move into the Castle of Chapultepec. She would buy the furnishings and other accoutrements, and make it one of the most lavish domiciles in the New World.
But she was no mere figurehead. She would also oversee day-to-day operations of the government when Maximilian was visiting the more remote states of Mexico or leading an army. She held court with French generals, and worked with architects and gardeners to design the lavish gardens of Chapultepec, which still exist today. She was a champion of the indigenous people and her legacy is still honored among them.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, another first lady would rise to prominence. Margarita Maza de Juarez was born in Oaxaca in 1826. Raised by a wealthy family, she had a comfortable childhood and a classical education with private tutors. The sister of Benito Juarez, a Zapotec Indian, had worked as a maid in their household. Aided by a Franciscan priest who recognized his potential, young Benito would go on to earn a law degree, practice as an attorney and be elected as a judge. He married Margarita in 1843 and they went on to have 12 children, only seven of whom survived. His career flourished and he became the governor of Oaxaca, followed by chief justice of the supreme court and, finally, president. However, by 1863, with the French invasion, he was forced to flee the capital. Margarita and her surviving offspring went to New York for safety. She would then use her family connections and charm as first lady to convince investors to help the beleaguered Mexican army in their fight against the French.
Margarita Maza de Juarez. Correos de Mexico. Public domain.
She found a ready ally in Mary Todd Lincoln who, like Margarita, knew what it was like to lose a beloved child. They convinced Lincoln not to recognize Maximilian and Carlota, but to continue to work with Juarez as the legitimate leader of Mexico. With Mary Todd’s encouragement, Margarita went to New York and, together with the brilliant diplomat Matias Romero, was able to convince major investors to buy millions of dollars in Mexican bonds. These funds were used to attract volunteers and buy medicine, modern artillery and munitions, and, ultimately, to overthrow the French and defeat Maximilian.
When Lincoln was assassinated in 1965, Empress Carlota sent a letter of condolence to Mary Todd. It was returned to the empress unopened. However, when Margarita sent her sincere sympathies, Mary Todd invited her to a luncheon at the White House. While most critics censured Mary Todd Lincoln’s open expressions of grief as “unseemly,” Margarita was one of the few people who understood Mary Todd’s terrible losses and quietly supported her. Together they consoled each other, solidifying a friendship based on shared grief, mutual support and a commitment to a better world, one in which Mexico and the United States were republics, free of slavery and European interference.