Execution of Agustín de Iturbide, First Emperor of Mexico
On July 19, 1824, Agustín de Iturbide, the Mexican army general who helped secure Mexico's independence from Spain and briefly became its first emperor, was executed by firing squad at the age of 40. After abdicating the throne in 1823 and going into exile, Iturbide returned to Mexico the following year, unaware that Congress had declared him a traitor and ordered his death should he set foot in the country again.
Iturbide had risen to prominence by leading the Army of the Three Guarantees and negotiating the Plan of Iguala, which brought an end to the Mexican War of Independence. Crowned Emperor Agustín I in 1822, his reign lasted less than a year before growing political opposition forced him to abdicate.
Upon landing in Tamaulipas in July 1824, Iturbide was arrested almost immediately. He was tried and executed the same day, reportedly declaring that he died for Mexico, not as a traitor. His dramatic rise from military hero to emperor and his swift downfall remain among the most remarkable episodes in Mexican history.
