The Six Boy Heroes (Niños Heroes) Quiz

Answer: September

The "Dia de los Niños Heroes" (Boy Heroes Day) is celebrated every September 13 in Mexico. On that day in 1847, the cadets responded to the entry of a foreign country once Mexico had been defeated during a war. President Benito Juarez was the first to honor the fallen cadets by declaring a national day of mourning in the late 19th century, but the recognition of the day as an official holiday didn't come until after Juarez died.

Mexican Independence Day is celebrated on September 16, commemorating the events of 1810 that led to Mexico's independence. Despite a rather common misconception, Cinco de Mayo (May 5) commemorates another military battle and has no connection to the Mexican fight for independence.

Answer: United States

The battle that gave rise to the legend of the Boy Heroes was a critical point in the Mexican-American War. Under General Winfield Scott's orders, the American army had a mission to invade Mexico City in order to capture the capital and force the Mexican government to surrender. Thousands of combatants from both sides died and were injured during the battle.

The war culminated with Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (a former Mexican president who was now the general in charge of the Mexican military) giving up. Ultimately, New Mexico and Alta California were ceded to the United States, which is why the Mexican state that borders the U.S. is called "Baja California" (or Lower California).

Answer: Chapultepec

Chapultepec is an area in Mexico City that is well-known by the city's residents. When people say they are going to Chapultepec, they are often referring to the enormous park and forest that is aptly called Bosque de Chapultepec (which stands for Chapultepec Forest).

When visiting Chapultepec, one can go to a lake, various history and art museums, or ride a bicycle. One of the most famous landmarks there is the Castle of Chapultepec, which used to house Mexican heads of state. The legend goes that the heroic cadets died as the last troops protecting the Castle of Chapultepec, in a desperate attempt to come back from a battle that was already lost.

Answer: Juan de la Barrera

The Boy Heroes are known by that name because they were very young when the invasion took place. According to the renowned Mexican university UNAM, Juan de la Barrera was 19 years old when he died in the battle. Some historians believe it's somewhat strange that Juan de la Barrera is included in the list of Boy Heroes given that he had already graduated from the Military College.

The mystique surrounding this story is that these brave young men stood up to defend their motherland, but de la Barrera's actual involvement is not as well-documented. "Barrera" means barrier or wall in English.

Answer: Jump from the castle wrapped in the Mexican flag

When Mexican children first learn about the Niños Heroes, they are often told this story as a way to reinforce the most patriotic sentiments of the myth. However, many historians have disputed that this ever happened. Still, it remains part of the mystique surrounding this group of six cadets.

The story goes like this: the American troops significantly outnumbered the Mexicans, who had mostly been killed or injured. The six boy heroes were the only ones standing in the way of the Americans and the Castle of Chapultepec but had nowhere to go. So in an effort to stop the U.S. from capturing the Mexican flag, Juan Escutia wrapped himself in the flag and jumped to his death. The picture displayed is a mural of Juan Escutia displayed today in Chapultepec.

Though American historian John Eisenhower once said that the cadet did indeed chose to jump rather than surrender, most Mexican historians now believe that this never happened and that the boy heroes were actually shot to death by the American troops. Others have attributed the action to Agustin Melgar or Fernando Montes de Oca, two other Boy Heroes. Some historians say that there was another cadet, Margarito Zuazo, who did actually wrap himself in the flag in another battle days before. However, military authorities likely blended the stories to instill a sense of patriotism in new trainees.

Answer: Felipe Calderon

The six Niños Heroes, ordered from oldest to youngest, were: Juan Escutia, Juan de la Barrera, Agustín Melgar, Fernando Montes de Oca, Vicente Suarez, and Francisco Márquez. Their names are immortalized as a group of patriots who died defending the motherland, and despite the many inconsistencies in the popularly-told story, they were actually fighting in the Battle of Chapultepec and died in action. They were all between 14 and 20 years old, meaning that they were not actually as young as they are often believed to be (another translation for "niños" is "children").

Felipe Calderon was the president of Mexico between 2006 and 2012.

Answer: No

Many believe that the story of the Niños Heroes as we know it today has been largely sanitized or modified to inspire patriotism. Strictly speaking, the young cadets who stayed in Chapultepec to fight the Americans were acting recklessly by engaging in combat when they had already been instructed to leave. General Nicolas Bravo, who was in charge of the troops defending the Castle of Chapultepec, ordered all minors to leave immediately and go back home.

Bravo probably realized the Mexican army was significantly outnumbered and it was best not to expose the young cadets to unnecessary danger. However, most of the cadets (including the Boy Heroes) challenged their commanding officer's authority, and stayed there to fight. Only 6 cadets are remembered as the "Niños Heroes", although there likely were more than 50 cadets who also gave their life in this battle.

Answer: Obelisk

In the late 1800s, once Mexico had finally regained some political stability following multiple wars and invasions, President Porfirio Diaz inaugurated an obelisk near the site of the battle. Created by architect Ramon Rodriguez Arangoiti (who himself was a military cadet during the Mexican-American War), the obelisk is one of the first known monuments to the boy heroes. With Porfirio Diaz behind them, the "Asociacion de Colegio Militar" (Military College Association) inaugurated the "Obelisco a los Niños Heroes" to remember their fallen peers.

Answer: No

The Mexican National Anthem was officially adopted in 1943 by a decree signed by President Manuel Avila Camacho. The lyrics were written in 1853 by poet Francisco Gonzalez Bocanegra as part of a contest launched by President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (who later served as a general in the Mexican-American War). The lyrics allude several times to "love of the motherland" and defending it with honor. While Gonzalez Bocanegra certainly might have been inspired by the multiple battles Mexico faced at that time, the Niños Heroes are never mentioned in the lyrics. Composer Jaime Nuno created music for the anthem a year later.

The anthem is very powerful and is one of the most beautiful national anthems there is (of course, I may be somewhat biased). The very first lyric says: "Mexicans at the cry of war", so you may imagine what the rest of the lyrics say.

Answer: Altar a la Patria

President Porfirio Diaz, who was a dictatorial leader in charge of Mexico for decades, is often given credit as the one who pushed the myth of the Niños Heroes into the general population. The story was also used to instill patriotism in military academies all over the country. The remains of the boy heroes had been "discovered" during Diaz's term. In 1947 (the 100-year anniversary of the battle), the Mexican government exhumed those remains and claimed they were in fact the remains of five young men and one adult (consistent with the ages of the Niños Heroes). Thus, those remains were buried in a new, much bigger monument called "Altar a la Patria" that was inaugurated in 1952. The exhumation lacked scientific muster and it was never confirmed how exactly the government was able to confirm the remains found were indeed those of the Boy Heroes.

U.S. presidents like President Truman and President Clinton have visited the memorial and apologized for their army's invasion that resulted in so many deaths. In 1947, Truman visited Chapultepec and said "brave men do not belong to any one country".