Wenceslao Moguel
Moguel circa 1940
Born
Wenceslao Moguel Herrera

(1896-11-01)November 1, 1896
Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
Died (aged 79)
Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
Other namesEl Fusilado
OccupationHandyman
Known forSurviving execution by firing squad

Wenceslao Moguel Herrera (1 November 1896[1] – 29 July 1976), known in the press as El Fusilado (Spanish: "The Shot One"[lower-alpha 1]), was a Mexican soldier under Pancho Villa who was captured on March 18, 1915 during the Mexican Revolution, and survived execution by firing squad.[2][3][4]

He was sentenced to death without a trial, and was shot 8–9 times in the body. He received the coup de grâce, or one final shot to the head at point-blank range to ensure death, yet managed to survive, though he was permanently scarred and disfigured by the event.[4][2]

Stories differ as to how he survived. Some sources suggest that he was rescued:

The next day Moguel was found unconscious among the dead bodies of his comrades. He was given medical attention and recovered.[2]

Others state that he escaped on his own and received care afterwards:

[Moguel] crawled away to the church of St. James Apostle three blocks away where a church member found him and took him home until he recuperated.[4]

Moguel appeared on the Ripley's Believe It or Not! radio show on July 16, 1937.[5]

He is the focus of a song, titled El Fusilado, by British anarchist band Chumbawamba. It appears on their thirteenth studio album. This song was covered by The Longest Johns in 2023.

Notes

  1. ↑ Ripley's Believe it or Not! incorrectly translated "El Fusilado" as "The Executed One"

References

  1. ↑ "Wenceslao Moguel Herrera, "United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007". FamilySearch. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Evening Independent". June 28, 1935. p. 10.
  3. ↑ Pacheco, Edgar A. Santiago (2020-11-04). "Los libros del fusilado de Halachó". Informe Fracto (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  4. 1 2 3 mexicomystic (21 August 2014). "The Firing Squad". Mexico Mystic's Blog – Expat In Tlaxcala. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  5. ↑ "The Free Lance-Star". July 16, 1937. p. 5.

Bibliography

  • Wenceslao Moguel. El milagro del Santo de Halachó, o Historia de un Fusilado. – Merida, 1967. – 186 pp.
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