| At the Mexico
City National Cemetery there are seven hundred and fifty American
soldiers buried that were killed during the Mexican War. Their
remains were gathered in 1851, four years after the war, and buried
in a common grave at this cemetery. They were not identified so they
are classified as Unknown Soldiers. A small monument made of white
stone stands at the far end of the cemetery, above the vaults
holding the remains of the men who died there during the War with
Mexico. There is a brief inscription in gold letters on the
monument's base. Presumably out of respect to the sensitivities of
the Mexican people, it does not identify the men who are buried
there as soldiers nor does it make it any reference to the war. It
reads simply: To
the honored memory of 750 Americans known but to god whose bones
collected by their country's order are here buried.
In 1923, the Mexico City National Cemetery was closed to further
burials. It is located behind high walls at Virginia Fabregas
31, Colonia San Rafael - almost at the intersection of San Cosmé and
Melchor Ocampo. The Plaza de la Constitucíon, or Zocalo, is about 2½
miles to the east and the U.S. Embassy is about 1 mile south.
Memorial Day services, usually attended by the U.S. Ambassador to
Mexico, are held annually. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
except Christmas Day and New Year's Day. When the cemetery is open,
a staff member is on duty to answer questions and escort visitors to
grave sites.
In addition there are eight
veterans of the Mexican War buried at this cemetery:
| Name |
Service |
| Santiago Wright |
Veteran of Mexican War |
| Nathaniel S. Reneau |
Private Company G, 1st Tennessee Mounted
Volunteers |
| John E. Frey |
Corporal, Company F, 3rd US Infantry |
| William Jacobs Brown |
Pennsylvania Regiment |
| George Smith |
Veteran of Mexican War |
| George Heyser |
Pennsylvania Regiment |
| James G. Holleman |
Private Company L, 1st Tennessee Mounted
Volunteers |
| James E. Slaughter |
1st Lieutenant, Artillery |
|