General Anaya Monument

If I had any ammunition,
you wouldn’t be here.

The General Anaya Monument commemorates the general who spoke the words above to the victorious General from the United States, David Emanuel Twiggs, on being asked to surrender his ammunition. The monument was moved from the Calzada de Tlalpan where it had stood since the late 1940s.

The monument was moved to make way for the Metro Station which also bears the General’s name, and which began service in that same year. Today the monument is on the grounds outside the National Museum of the Interventions.

Born in 1795, Pedro Bernardino María de Anaya y de Álvarez began his military career in 1810, just in time for the insurgency to attempt overthrow the Spanish Crown. After Mexican Independence and a turbulent 1820s, he participated in the struggle, again against the Spanish, in 1829 and rose to the rank of General by 1830.

But General Anaya’s place in history begins with the Battle of Churubusco in 1847. This took place in and around the monastery of the same name. The Mexican Army fell in defeat. The general though fought resolutely and courageously even against overwhelming opposing forces. The Saint Patrick’s Battalion won eternal glory for their contribution. 72 American deserters, many of them of Irish descent, ended up in enemy hands in the aftermath of the battle. 50 of them hanged after two separate court martials.

Plaques at the base of the General Anay Monument read:

Front: General Pedro María Anaya Hero of the Country. He was born in Huichapan, Hidalgo. He fought for the Independence of Mexico and contributed to the consolidation of Guatemala. He symbolized the dignity and heroism of the Mexican Army in the glorious defense of Churubusco in 1847. 

Right side: He drove the heroism of the Mexican Army into the Weapons of the Enemy.

Left side: Honor and patriotism speak in the heart of the defending soldier.

The General Anaya Monument statue was cast in bronze in the 1940s by the sculptor Juan Fernando Olaguíbel. He’s better known for the statue of Diana the Huntress and especially for the Fuente de Petróleos, both on Paseo de la Reforma. The massive Pípila Monument in the city of Guanajuato is also by Olaguíbel.