Mexico. Medal for Battle of Chapultepec, 1847-1947

Mexico. Commemorative Medal for the Battle of Chapultepec. Zinc (43mm), depicting Juan Escutia, a military cadet who fought to the death preventing the flag from falling into American hands, with “Chapultepec 1847-1947″ in the exergue. The reverse is inscribed “Un Soldado en Cada Hijo te Dio” [A soldier in each son he gave you]. The zinc pendant has deteriorated to the point of cracking in several places.

The military cadets who fought to the death at Chapultepec are referred to as “Child Heroes” and still loom large in the Mexican histories of the 1847 war.