Friends and Allies: Bernardo Couto (1803-1862) and Jose Joaquin Pesado (1801-1861)

Studying the lives of Jose Bernardo Couto and Jose Joaquin Pesado, two relatively forgotten figures of the 19th century Mexico, offers an ideal opportunity to showcase the smoothness and plurality of political affiliations at the time. Understanding how their early liberalist enthusiasm turned into a late conservatism is fascinating because of special circumstances. Besides being first cousins, Couto and Pesado were friends and close collaborators during all their lives. The main goal of their ideas, conceived within a context of instability, was maintaining the union among Mexicans. Disappointed, Couto and Pesado ended up preferring religious beliefs over political convictions, since the former were much more efficient social cements. However, the War of Reform would reveal the limits of an ideal republic based on catholic values. Adapted from the source document.