History

The Defenders of the Republic Decoration of Merit (La Cruz y Medalla de los Defenseros de la República) was authorized in Mexico after the end of the American-Mexican War (1836-1848), in recognition of the Mexican military personnel who defended the country against foreign invaders during the Texan rebellions.

The Medal was awarded again couple year later to the Mexican military personnel who defended the country against the French troops during the Pastry War and during the Second French Intervention (1862-1867).

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Medal was replaced by the Cross for the Defenders of the Republic, and it was awarded to Mexican military personnel for the second US invasion (1910-1919) during the Mexican Revolution.

In MedalBook, the Defenders of the Republic Decoration of Merit is classified into types according with the battle for which the decoration was granted. Type I includes the Medal awarded for the first US invasion, while Type II includes the Medal awarded for the French Intervention War, and Type III consists of the Cross awarded for the second US intervention.

In Type II, the Medal is almost identical as the Medal in Type I, but they differ on the reverse inscription.

In Type II, the Medal consisted of two grades; Silver Medal and Bronze Medal. It is not clear if the composition of the Medal denotes the rank of the recipient.