Who they were
Orphaned and Zapotec-speaking in his youth, Juárez trained as a lawyer and entered Oaxaca politics. He became a leader of the Liberal movement that sought to limit the power of the church and the army.
What they did
As president he led the Liberals in the Reform War and the resistance to the French intervention that installed the emperor Maximilian. He restored the republic in 1867 and advanced reforms separating church and state.
Legacy
He is revered in Mexico as a defender of national sovereignty and constitutional government. His statement that respect for the rights of others is peace remains one of the nation’s most quoted lines.