Juan Francisco Lucas
Juan Francisco Lucas (Comaltepec Zacapoaxtla, Puebla,? 1834 - † Xochiapulco, Puebla, February 1, 1917) was an Indian military man and chief.
He fought against the French in the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, being then captain of the 6th Battalion of the Guard of Puebla. This unit of infantry was stationed along a trench that stretched between the fort of Guadalupe and the Fort of Loreto. As the natives of the Sierra only had as their main weapon machetes had to ambush in that trench the French infantry that tried to take the forts.
One of the "Los Juanes de Sierra Norte de Puebla" was once known as "The Lion of the Mountains." The rugged topography and forests of the region were favorable to the defense to face the foreign troops that invaded the Sierra Norte de Puebla in 1865. In 1865 there were several military meetings between Mexican irregular forces and the Austrian Volunteer Corps in command by Franz Thun.
Its headquarters during the guerrilla war against a contingent of the Legion of Austrian Volunteers was at the top of the hill of Cuatecomaco where there is still a network of trenches and viewpoints.
According to oral tradition, he made espionage raids on enemy lines, posing as a humble charcoal. The invaders never suspected that after the image of that simple guy was the fierce Serrano warrior.
For his heroic acts, he was promoted to 2nd Brigade General. Division of the East.
In the period after the War of Intervention, General Juan Francisco Lucas established his residence in the Hacienda de Taxcantla. He also had other real estate in Tetela de Ocampo and Xochiapulco.
In the final part of his life, he was known as "The Patriarch of the Sierra," due to his defense of uses and customs of the indigenous peoples of the area.
He died in the midst of the Mexican Revolution, which he kept on the sidelines because of his advanced age and state of health.
In Tetela de Ocampo, Xochiapulco and Zacapoaxtla, there are photos, documents and historical objects related to it. (Like the Letters sent to him by Benito Juárez and Porfirio Diaz.)
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