Juan Cortina - Arrest and Exile

Arrest and Exile

However, Cortina's days of glory didn't last. His support to the Plan de Tuxtepec and Porfirio Díaz, followed by his efforts of raising an army from the local population to attempt another coup d'etat in favor of Díaz and sheltering the then-fugitive General, earned him the animosity of Juárez and his successor to the Presidency, Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada. Repeated accusations against him by wealthy landowners in Texas of conducting raids against their cattle and properties were eventually heeded by the Mexican Government, and used as public justification to detain him. In 1875, Cortina was arrested and brought to Mexico City.

On 29 November 1876, Díaz was finally able to overthrow the Government and appointed himself President of Mexico. Cortina was allowed to return to Tamaulipas, where he once again tried to raise an armed force. But before he could put this new army to any use, Díaz ordered his arrest and confinement within Mexico City for the second time.

Many factors contributed to Díaz decision, the main ones being Cortina's ambition to power within Tamaulipas above anything, and the consequent unreliability and instability of his support, as he had already demonstrated many times in his life. Díaz had also received a large sum of money, estimated from anywhere between $50,000 to $200,000 from the wealthy South Texas ranchers to finance his seizure of power with the condition that, in turn, he would take care of stopping Cortina's raids on United States territory. Most important, Díaz was determined to remain in absolute control of the Government (as he did for the subsequent 33 years), no matter the means involved, and he systematically removed all traces of opposition that could have challenged his will. Also, with diplomatic pressure coming from the United States Government, which was concerned about Cortina's ambitions in Cameron County and his behavior in the past, the President decreed the arrest and execution of his former ally.

Gen. José Canales, a longtime enemy of Cortina who was sent to carry out the order, decided to bring him to Mexico City instead, fearing the popular reprisals from the people of Tamaulipas. His old nemesis, John S. Ford, also interceded on his behalf. He was kept at the military prison of Santiago Tlaltelolco, without being tried or sentenced. He remained there until 1890, when he was paroled to a big hacienda below Mexico City. Cortina never again regained power in Mexico. He died in Azcapotzalco, Mexico City on October 30, 1894.