Vicente Guerrero is the first and only Black person to have become President of Mexico. He served as President of the country from April 1829 until February 1831 when he was captured and then assassinated. He was only 39-years old at the time of his death.
Guerrero was born on August 9, 1783, in Tixtla to his father, Juan Pedro Guerrero, who was half African and half Mexican, and his mother, Guadalupe Saldaña, who was a native Mexican.
Although he grew up without formal education, his knowledge of several different dialects and languages was so impressive that it propitiated that he was able to rise in rank. In addition, Guerrero was a very well-known and respected revolutionary hero who fought for the country's independence from Spain.
During his presidency, he fought against racial oppression and even abolished slavery many years before Abraham Lincoln did the same in the United States of America. But, Guerrero also fought for the economically oppressed as well. In fact, he did quite a bit to enhance public schools, land title reforms, and other programs throughout the country.
Mexico has more Black history than most people think
During the 16th century, Mexico (then known as New Spain) had the largest number of African slaves of all the Americas. The census of that time showed that Afro-Mexicans were the majority in most urban towns.
Even in modern-day, there are almost 3 million people who live in Mexico who identify themselves as Afro-Mexicans.