Rita Perez Jimenez (1779-1861) was one of the most outstanding women of the independence of Mexico, being an important part of numerous battles since the beginning of the revolution. She has been honored in Jalisco for her role in the fight with the rebels for the Crown, of which her husband, Pedro Moreno, was one of the main protagonists.
He sacrificed many things for the libertarian ideals of his family. She lost her husband in the struggle for independence, several of her children or her brother-in-law. One of his daughters was kidnapped when she was only two years old. She was also a prisoner of the royalists.
He managed to live to witness the independence of Mexico, but did not enjoy the assets he owned before joining the fight. Nor did it receive greater aid from local governments..
In the Fort of the Hat, a fort where the revolutionaries were located, he was in charge of the food of the members of the rebel armies. He was also in charge of ensuring the health of many, as he healed the wounds of the combatants.
It was considered one of the most important pieces of the independence movement in the Jalisco area. For this reason, a century after his death, he received the recognition he deserved when his name was added in the Hall where the deputies of the state of Jalisco meet..
In the XXI century his work is still recognized. In 2010 it was decreed that the remains of Rita Pérez should come to rest in the Rotunda of the Illustrious Jaliscienses. The monument in Guadalajara celebrates all the characters who had important contributions to the history of Jalisco.
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Her full name was María Rita de la Trinidad Pérez Jiménez, being better known simply as Rita Pérez Jiménez, although some remember her with her married name (from Moreno), for her marriage as the renowned revolutionary Pedro Moreno.
He was born in Cañada del Cura, a town that today is called Cañada de los Pérez. His date of birth was May 23, 1779 and he came to the world thanks to the union between his parents: José María Pérez and Rafaela Jiménez.
Rita was part of a family with a good economic level, being recognized landowners in the area. She married Pedro Moreno when he was not yet 20 years old and for the first few years they lived without major shocks in Lagos. Everything changed when Moreno decided to join the insurgents' fight for the freedom of Mexico.
The couple had several children. They all moved to the Hat fort and all suffered the hardships and the siege of the royalist troops..
Pedro Moreno became one of the most important characters in Jalisco by integrating the pro-independence movement when he decided to join the fight in 1812. In his decision he dragged his entire family with him. Rita Pérez decided to follow her husband and, together with their children, they moved to the Hat fort.
Although Rita Pérez did not fight technically, since she never went to battles or fired a weapon, she had a very important role. He was in charge of managing everything related to the Hat fort. He took care of food, healed the wounded in battle, and distributed clothing and goods.
One of the worst pain that Rita Pérez suffered during the war was losing her children. Guadalupe, one of Rita and Pedro's daughters, was kidnapped by the Spanish when she was under the care of the priest Ignacio Bravo. The Spanish offered the family to return their daughter in exchange for the release of some prisoners from the Spanish army.
Pedro Moreno rejected the deal and always had the support of his wife. For years it was believed that Guadalupe had been assassinated in retaliation, but the truth is that she had been placed under the protection of a Spanish family. Mother and daughter met again years later, when Rita Pérez was released and Mexico achieved independence.
Worse luck would run in 1817 one of the couple's sons, who died while fighting the Spanish army. Luis, that was his name, by then he was only fifteen years old. The couple would lose three more children during the fight..
For a long time, the inhabitants of the Hat fort suffered hardships due to the lack of basic resources in the fort. The Spanish always offered pardons for those who abandoned the fight, but Rita Pérez remained faithful to her ideals with her family.
In desperation over the shortage, the insurgent leaders give the order to evacuate the place, but Rita remained at the site because she felt unable to move her children without being discovered by the enemy troops..
Eventually, the royalists took control of the Hat Fort and Rita and her children were made prisoners of the Spanish Crown. They were in several prisons and two of their children were not able to resist captivity.
Prudencia and Severiano died from poor diet and the hardships they suffered in prison. Rita also had her pregnancy interrupted.
She communicated with her husband through letters. Pedro Moreno was offered the option of freeing his family if he surrendered, but he never agreed to abandon the revolutionary struggle. In prison, Rita Pérez was informed about the capture and sentence to death of her husband.
In the end she was released, even though her husband had been murdered a couple of years earlier. The decision was the responsibility of Juan Ruiz, the king's representative in that area of Mexico. None of his properties that had been taken from him years before were not repaid..
He witnessed the consolidation of independence, a fact not witnessed by many of the insurgents he met and served. He never claimed recognition for his struggle, or for his contributions to the freedom of the nation.
He lived without major shocks until 1861, when he died on August 27 at the age of 82. At that time, he was survived by three of the nine children he had during wartime..
For a long time the work of Rita Pérez “went under the table”, and it was not until a century after her death that the recognitions began to honor her. Despite this, even today little is said about their role in the revolution..
In the room where the Jalisco deputies legislate, the names of various historical figures for the entity are written. Rita Pérez's name was added to the wall of honor in January 1969.
Later she was named Meritorious of the state and her remains were mobilized to the monument of the Illustrious Jaliscienses. In that place is a bronze statue in honor of her husband Pedro Moreno.
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