Jesús Castro Montaño

José Jesús Castro Montaño (October 14, 1905^[1] – March 15, 1976) was a Mexican soldier of the Cristero War.^[2] He is noted for sheltering himself, and other soldiers, inside the bell tower of the chapel of La Purísima from the federal troops after a battle that occurred in Cocula, Jalisco. The federal troops who were offering a deal of money in exchange for armistice, actually executed several of the cristeros who came down to accept the supposed agreement.

Early life

Jesús Castro Montaño was born in the rancho of San Jerónimo, in southwestern San Martín de Hidalgo municipality, Jalisco. He was the first child born to Fabián Castro Villalvaso, a farmer from Barranca de Santa Clara, and his wife Francisca Montaño Quintero. His siblings were José Marciano (died in infancy), José Trinidad (died in infancy), Nicolasa, Mariano, José Felipe, María Rosa, Flabio, and Ángel. Jesús' father Fabián and had settled in the area circa 1890, and found work as a peon for the Hacienda San José de Miravalle where he met his wife Francisca. The couple married on January 16, 1905 in San Martín de Hidalgo. Fabián also had a brief encounter with war during the Mexican Revolution in 1914, the year in which he guarded an entrance known as la puerta del camichín to the municipal seat San Martín on the San Jerónimo-San Martín de Hidalgo road. The gated entrance prevented revolutionary troops and bandits from entering the municipal seat.

Cristero War

When the Cristero rebellion broke out, he journeyed with fellow townsmen to Cocula, Jalisco, to help the Cristeros. After the battle was over and the government troops sieged the town,^[3] Jesús and other soldiers found refuge in la Purísima, a chapel of Cocula. They instructed the priest to lock the doors of the chapel, to prevent the federals from barging in. Castro and his friends hid themselves on the bell tower, while the government officials persuaded them to come down and get their money compensation for their participation in the war. Castro, refused to go, but others decided it was a real agreement. As soon as they walked down to the door, the officials executed them at the site. Feared to be killed, Castro and his friends secretly left the town to head back to San Jerónimo.

Later life

After the Cristiada, Castro married Antonia Gómez Barbosa (born June 13, 1908), who was the daughter of Feliciano Gómez Ramos and María Melquiades Barbosa Medina^[4] the neighbor of Fabian Castro. He had three children with her: Heliodoro, Ana, and Manuel. According to witness accounts, Castro enjoyed recounting his youth and life to his nieces and nephews in his old age. He died in the municipal seat of San Martín de Hidalgo.

Ancestry

Castro Montaño's ancestry can be traced back to his great-great grandfather (tatarabuelo) Anastacio de Castro, of Barranca de Santa Clara. His paternal ancestors were criollos of the Zacoalco de Torres area, meanwhile his maternal ancestors were mainly of mulato, criollo, and indigenous descent. His mother Francisca's paternal grandmother, Eduarda Sandoval, was from Teúl de González Ortega, Zacatecas.

It was during the period of 1875-1880, that Jesús grandfathers Ignacio Castro and Sabina Villalvaso moved to farm in the canyon river valley of Barranca de Oblatos which is near Guadalajara, Jalisco. There Ignacio and Sabina drowned, and Fabián and his younger brother travel uphill to the state capital until arriving in the Ameca valley.

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