Francisco Morazán


Morazán, Francisco

 

Born Oct. 3, 1792, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras; died Sept. 15, 1842, in San José, Costa Rica. Central American statesman and military leader.

Morazán was the son of a Creole from the French Antilles. While leader of the Liberal Party in the Central American Confederation, Morazán became head of the army in 1828; with the support of progessive forces, he liberated Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala from the despotic rule of reactionary forces led by the Conservative Party.

In 1830, Morazán was elected president of the Central American Confederation. In this post he furthered the growth of industry and commerce and carried out a number of reforms limiting church property; these reforms caused dissatisfaction among the Catholic clergy and led to a new outbreak of civil war and the dissolution of the confederation in 1839. In 1842, Morazán undertook an armed attempt to restore the confederation but was arrested, handed over to a field court-martial, and executed.