History of Guadalajara
History of Mérida
History of Oaxaca
Northern Mexico
Central Mexico
Southern Mexico
History of Guadalajara
History of Mérida
History of Oaxaca
Northern Mexico
Central Mexico
Southern Mexico
THE VILLAGE OF SAN JUAN DE VILLAHERMOSA PLUNDERED AND ATTACKED BY PIRATES ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS
Pre-Hispanic Era
In the pre-Hispanic era, the current territory of Villahermosa was inhabited by the Chontal people, a Maya tribe with Nahua influence, which developed mainly in the present-day area of Tamulté de las Sabanas.
The strong Nahua presence in this region was also evident in the current neighborhoods of Atasta de Serra and Tamulté de las Barrancas.
Colonial Era
In March 1519, after the historic Battle of Centla, which culminated in the victory of the Spanish, the conquest towards the Mexican highlands began. Right at the location of the historic battle, the city of Santa María de la Victoria was founded, on the left bank of the Grijalva River and across from what is now the city and port of Frontera.
The Battle of Centla was the first major battle between the Spanish and the indigenous people in Mexican lands, and it opened the door for the occupation of new territories.
Years later, due to increasing poverty, epidemics resulting from being settled in swampy territory, and constant attacks by English pirates, most of the inhabitants of Santa María de la Victoria decided to abandon it and establish a safer settlement inland.
In this way, in 1557, they arrived at a small fishing village located on the left bank of the Grijalva River, where they founded a new settlement with the name of San Juan Bautista de Tabasco.
History of Villahermosa
It was in 1564 when Diego de Quijada, the mayor of Yucatán, Cozumel, and Tabasco, officially laid out what he called the Villa de Carmona, named after his birthplace in Andalusia. The layout included the current streets of Madero, Reforma, Lerdo, and others in the city center, including the main square or Plaza de Armas where the first church was built.
In the late 16th century, on June 24, 1596, King Philip II of Spain approved the foundation of this city, naming it Villa Hermosa de San Juan Bautista and granting it the coat of arms that still identifies the state of Tabasco.
Although Santa María de la Victoria remained the official capital of the province, Villa Hermosa had become a safer commercial center and the main port of Tabasco. Faced with the constant plundering by pirates, the few Spaniards who remained in the Cortesian foundation, tired of the attacks, requested to the Spanish Crown in the early 17th century to transfer the province's powers to Villa Hermosa.
Upon approval of this request, on June 24, 1641, the transfer of powers took place. The new seat of the colonial government was named Villa de San Juan Bautista de Villahermosa. However, the constant siege of the city by pirates forced the Spaniards to move the capital further inland, seeking to be less vulnerable.
One of the first constructions ordered by Mayor Simón Rodríguez was the fort of La Encarnación, located in what is now Los Pajaritos Park (corner of 5 de Mayo and Zaragoza streets), to safeguard the royal interests from the attacks of English corsairs who continued to raid the Gulf Coast.
At the beginning of 1677, the Villa de San Juan de Villahermosa was attacked and plundered by pirates, and the colonial government was moved to the district of La Sierra, remaining in Tacotalpa for over a century.
In 1711, pirates set Villahermosa on fire, burning the Casa Fuerte or Royal Warehouse (the block formed by Madero, Reforma, Juárez, and Lerdo streets), which was the government building.
With the Spanish reconquest of Isla del Carmen in July 1717, and the threat of pirates in the Gulf diminished, San Juan Bautista de Villahermosa regained its strategic geographic importance, and in 1792, it was declared a minor port.
The provincial governor, Miguel de Castro y Araoz, believed it was convenient to relocate the capital of Tabasco to the port of Villahermosa. This request was attended to by Viceroy Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca y Branciforte, who granted authorization in January 1795, and the transfer of powers took place on August 15 of that year.
In November 1808, the viceroy of New Spain decided to elect the first municipality of San Juan de Villahermosa, which began its functions on January 1, 1809.
War of Independence
In 1810, while the nation was convulsed by the independence movement, the call of José María Jiménez, the only insurgent voice that rose in Tabasco, was silenced with imprisonment due to lack of popular support, caused by extreme ignorance due to the absence of schools and the threatening presence of royalist military forces.
After the signing of the Plan of Iguala, which recognized the Independence of Mexico on February 24, 1821, General Antonio López de Santa Anna commissioned Captain Juan Nepomuceno Mantecón Almonte to free the people of Tabasco from Spanish rule. On September 7, 1821, Mantecón made his triumphant entrance to Villahermosa. Juan Nepomuceno took over the government and called for the election of the municipality of the capital in November of that same year, in accordance with the Constitution of 1812.
Until then, the province of Tabasco was politically dependent on Yucatán, so it was proposed to the Constituent Congress that Tabasco have a provincial representation, and the request was accepted on November 22, 1822.
In 1826, by decree of the Congress, the capital of Tabasco was given the status of a city with the name of San Juan Bautista.
Invasions
During the 19th century, the capital of Tabasco had to face the harassment and occupation of American invaders in 1847 and the French in 1863. The latter occupation culminated in the triumph of the people of Tabasco on February 27, 1864, which serves as the anniversary of the main military achievement of the people of Tabasco against an invading army and represents the most important local civic celebration in the state.
Porfirio Díaz Era and Revolution
During the early years of the Porfirian era, political instability continued in the state. However, conditions gradually improved, and actions were taken by the government that showed some signs of progress for the city, such as the introduction of electric lighting, the installation of a telegraph line, and several railways. Education was also strongly promoted.
In 1879, the Juárez Institute was founded; the branch of the National Bank of Mexico was established in 1886; the Government Palace was inaugurated in 1896; the Bank of Tabasco was created in 1900; the Normal School for Teachers was founded in 1904, and in the same year, the Benito Juárez Garden was inaugurated. In 1906, the construction of the Porfirio Díaz Market (later called the Pino Suárez Market) was completed, and in 1910, La Paz Park and Hidalgo Park were built.
During the Maderista revolution, the city of San Juan Bautista remained under the control of the federal army. On November 20, 1911, during his campaign tour, presidential candidate Francisco I. Madero arrived in San Juan Bautista, accompanied by Tabascan José María Pino Suárez, who was running for vice president.
After the assassinations of Madero and Pino Suárez in February 1913, General Victoriano Huerta took power. The new governor general, Agustín Valdés, of Cuban origin, had to face armed uprisings affiliated with the Carrancismo, which occurred in Los Ríos and Chontalpa.
On February 3, 1916, while General Francisco J. Múgica was governor, he issued a decree from the town of Teapa, restoring the capital of the state to its old name, Villahermosa, as it is known to this day.
On February 27, 1917, the new Political Constitution of the Republic was proclaimed in Villahermosa, signed on February 5 of that year in the city of Querétaro. On March 10, 1919, General Carlos Greene Ramírez was sworn in as the first constitutional governor of the state.
In 1924, during the so-called De la Huerta rebellion, Villahermosa was an important bastion of this movement. During the 6 months that this city was under rebel control, the population witnessed numerous political assassinations. The bloody escalation extended throughout the period known as the Garridismo, during which the most radical anticlerical movement that Tabasco had experienced took shape. A shootout on the central Juárez Street in Villahermosa, which resulted in the deaths of several young students, marked the end of this stage when the state's powers were not recognized in 1936.
Modern Era
In 1929, Mexicana de Aviación inaugurated the Mexico-Veracruz-Villahermosa-Mérida route, and in 1932, the Southern Aeronautics Company began an interstate air service connecting all municipal seats.
This expansion of communication routes in the state was consolidated with the inauguration of the Southeast Railway in 1950, to which Villahermosa was connected via the road that links it to the municipality of Teapa. This route allowed for communication with other areas of the country and paved the way for integration, which was consolidated with the construction of the Gulf Circuit road in 1956. In the same year, poet and ethnologist Carlos Pellicer founded the La Venta Museum in Villahermosa, which houses the most important colossal pieces of the Olmec culture.
With the arrival of large federal investments in the region, first to control and exploit the potential of its hydrological resources and later to exploit its oil wealth, a process was generated that, over the years, led Villahermosa, particularly from the second half of the 20th century, to become the major commercial and service center that it represents today for southeastern Mexico.
SURROUNDED BY JUNGLE VEGETATION ON THE BANKS OF THE USUMACINTA RIVER
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