José María Reina Andrade

{{Main|Manuel Estrada Cabrera}}

File:Guatemalacity1915.jpg

Reina Andrade served as Secretary of the Interior during the second presidential term of Manuel Estrada Cabrera—from 1905 to 1911—and he was in charge of the investigations of the murder attempts against the president that took place on April 29, 1907 -"The bomb"-{{sfn|El Guatemalteco|1907d|p=4}} and on April 20, 1908 -"Cadets assassination attempt"-.{{sfn|Diario de Centro América|1908|p=Front page}}

{{quote box|align= left|width=400px|An Extra issue of El Guatemalteco on 29 April 1907 published the following:

«CRIMINAL ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT. At eight in the morning of today, when Mr. President of the Republic, Manuel Estrada Cabrera, left his home in his chariot and was on his way to the south of the city on the laudable mission to inspect the construction work that for the good of civilization and progress he ordered, a dynamite loaded mine activated by an electrical device, made a horrible explosion on the 7th. S. Avenue, between 16th and 17th W. streets. The detonation was horrendous and it was heard all over the city; but fortunately, for the good of the Motherland, its effects were far away from following the highly despicable desires of its criminal makers.{{sfn|El Guatemalteco|1907d|p=Front page}}}}

In early 1907, lawyer Enrique Ávila Echeverría and his brother, physician Jorge Ávila Echeverría, along with Dr. Julio Valdés Blanco and electrical engineer Baltasar Rodil, planned a bombing attack on the president of Guatemala, Manuel Estrada Cabrera, which took place on 29 April 1907, and is generally known in Guatemala as "The Bomb". The Echeverría brothers and their mates were from the elite class and had studied abroad, but when they came back to Guatemala, they did not like what they saw: a country where there was extreme abuse of power. When they decided to try to kill the president, they chose to use explosives. They prepared everything meticulously: the explosives, the detonators, the day and the exact time; even the president's driver -Patrocinio Monterroso- was on board.{{sfn|Gamboa|1934|p=1.° de mayo}}

On the day planned for the attack, 29 April, the president was traveling in his chariot along his 13-year-old son, Joaquin, and his chief of staff, general José María Orellana.Orellana would become president of Guatemala in 1921 after a successful coup d'état sponsored by the United Fruit Company. Around 10 a.m., they were on the 7th. S. Avenue, in between the 16th and 17th W streets when the bomb went off. However, by a miscalculation, Estrada Cabrera and those that were with him were unharmed. Only his driver and one of the horses died.{{sfn|Arévalo Martínez|1945|p=171}}

On 2 May 1907, Emilio Ubico,{{sfn|El Guatemalteco|1907b|p=3}} brother of Arturo Ubico Urruela -president of Congress- and uncle of Jorge Ubico Castañeda -political chief of Verapaz-, was appointed as Chief of Police, in charge of the investigations, along the Secretary of the Interior, Reina Andrade. A few days later, Congress issued Decree 737, by which any explosive related import was prohibited, unless previously authorized by the Secretary of War.{{sfn|El Guatemalteco|1907c|p=}}

Over the next twenty two days, the four conspirators fled through the small streets and little holes that they could find, trying to escape from Guatemala City, but they could not escape because the government surround the city and slowly started to close in while combing every inch of terrain.{{sfn|Gamboa|1934|p=5 de mayo}} Even their families were prosecuted and incarcerated. They were others conspirators, brothers Juan and Adolfo Viteri and Francisco Valladares, were arrested when they were trying to flee disguised as women in Guastatoya. Others, like Felipe and Rafael Prado Romaña, tried to flee to El Salvador, but were captured when somebody told on them- the Romaña brothers were in prison until their death-. Only the Colombian Rafael Madriñán escaped on a bike and left the country.{{sfn|Gamboa|1934|p=2 de mayo}} The mother of the Romaña brothers took the Mexican Ambassador, Federico Camboa, to the house where the Avila Echeverría brothers and his friends were hiding, who, knowing that they had only days to live, gave him all their valuables and beg him to pass them on to their relatives.{{sfn|Gamboa|1934|p=2 de mayo}}

At last, after several days of uncertainty, Rufina Roca de Monzón gave them shelter in the second floor of her home, # 29 Judío Place in Guatemala City, but a spy learned about it. on May 20, 1907, at 3 a.m. the house was surrounded by a soldier platoon. The troop brought down the door and tried to reach the second floor, but at that moment crossed gunfire started; by 6 a.m. the conspirators were out of ammo and exhausted and decided to kill themselves before becoming prisoners of the regime.{{sfn|Gamboa|1934|p=20 de mayo}} The Diario de Centro América, then a semi-official newspaper owned by Estrada Cabrera, went as far as to publish the conspirators autopsy details.{{sfn|Diario de Centro América|1907|p=Primera Plana}}

{{See also|Holy Week processions in Guatemala}}

File:Estrada cabrera residencia.jpg

By 1908, Santo Domingo Church members had modified the path of its centennial and traditional Good Friday procession, such that now was passed in front of the Estrada Cabrera house on 7th S. Avenue in Guatemala City. That year, several Military Academy cadets, after noticing that the procession uniforms completely covered the face of the penitents, decided to disguise themselves and blend in the procession and by the time it passed in front of the president's house, they would storm in and take him prisoner. However, the extremely efficient spy system that Estrada Cabrera had in place allowed him to thwart the kidnapping attempt. As soon as he learned about this, Estrada Cabrera prohibited the procession from passing in front of his house, placed a fence in front of it and prohibited the use of masks for the Holy Week processions.{{sfn|Arévalo Martínez|1945|p=200}}

On 20 April 1908, during the official reception of the new United States Ambassador in the National Palace, Military Academy cadet Víctor Manuel Vega, in revenge of what happened to his classmates and teachers, shot Estrada Cabrera point blank, but only managed to hurt him in his pinky. A flag from the official escort helped avoid the bullet from reaching the president. Enraged, and in order to set a precedent, Estrada Cabrera ordered to shoot all of Vega's Military Academy unit, except two, Rogelio Girón and Manuel Hurtarte, who were taken prisoners without any legal document. Vega had died on the spot where he tried to attack the president, killed instantly by his bodyguards. The president also ordered the Military Academy to be closed, its buildingWhich was located in the former monastery of La Recolección Church in Guatemala City. demolished and that salt would be spread on the field.{{sfn|Arévalo Martínez|1945|p=201}} Several military officers were sent to prison, including some loyal to the president.

{{reflist|group=Note}}

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin|60em}}

• {{cite web|author=Aquí Guatemala|year=2007|url=http://www.aquiguatemala.net/presidentes/jose_m_reina_a.html|location= Guatemala|newspaper=Aquí Guatemala|title=Presidentes: José María Reina Andrade|access-date=20 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807005925/http://www.aquiguatemala.net/presidentes/jose_m_reina_a.html|archive-date=7 August 2007|language=Spanish}}
• {{cite web|author=Aquí Guatemala|website=Aquí Guatemala|url=http://www.aquiguatemala.net/presidentes/manuel_orellana.html|title=Biografía de Manuel María Orellana|location=Guatemala|year=2008|access-date=16 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080206092227/http://www.aquiguatemala.net/presidentes/manuel_orellana.html|archive-date=6 February 2008|language=Spanish}}
• {{cite book|last=Arévalo Martínez|first=Rafael|authorlink=Rafael Arévalo Martínez|title=¡Ecce Pericles!|publisher=Tipografía Nacional|location=Guatemala|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/190285559/Arevalo-Martinez-Ecce-Pericles#scribd|year=1945|language=Spanish}}
• {{cite book |last1=Bascome Jones |first1=J. |last2=Scoullar |first2=William T. |last3=Soto Hall |first3=Máximo |title=El Libro azul de Guatemala |date=1915 |quote=relato é historia sobre la vida de las personas más prominentes; historia condensada de la república; artículos especiales sobre el comercio, agricultura y riqueza mineral, basado sobre las estadísticas oficiales |publisher=Searcy & Pfaff |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rPlRAQAAIAAJ}}
• {{cite journal

|last1=Bucheli

|first1=Marcelo

|last2=Jones

|first2=Geoffrey

|year=2005

|title=The Octopus and the Generals: the United Fruit Company in Guatemala

|journal=Harvard Business School Case

|issue=9–805–146

|url=http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=805146

|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121210075609/http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=805146

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=2012-12-10

}}

• {{cite news|author=Diario de Centro América|newspaper=Diario de Centro América|location=Guatemala|title=Otro criminal atentado contra la persona del benemérito presidente de la República|date=21 April 1908|language=Spanish}}
• {{cite news|url=http://fororedboa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Historia-del-Diario-de-Centro-America.pdf |newspaper=Foro red boa |year=2012 |title=Historia del Diario de Centro América |access-date=12 September 2014 |author=Diario de Centro América |language=Spanish |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720222558/http://fororedboa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Historia-del-Diario-de-Centro-America.pdf |archive-date=20 July 2014 }}
• {{cite news|author=Diario de Centro América|newspaper=Diario de Centro América|title=Informe de la autopsia de los perpetradores del criminal atentado contra la persona del Presidente de la Reública|publisher=Tipografía Unión|location=Guatemala|date=4 June 1907|language=Spanish}}
• {{cite news|author=El Guatemalteco|newspaper=El Guatemalteco; Diario Oficial de la República de Guatemala, en la América Central|title=Decretos del organismo ejecutivo|date=2 May 1907a|location=Guatemala|language=Spanish}}
• {{cite news|author=El Guatemalteco|newspaper=El Guatemalteco; Diario Oficial de la República de Guatemala, en la América Central|title=Decretos del organismo legislativo|date=8 May 1907b|location=Guatemala|language=Spanish}}
• {{cite news|author=El Guatemalteco|location=Guatemala|newspaper=El Guatemalteco, Diario Oficial de la República de Guatemala, en la América Central|title=Decretos del organismo legislativo|date=22 March 1907c|language=Spanish}}
• {{cite news|author=El Guatemalteco|newspaper=El Guatemalteco, Diario Oficial de la República de Guatemala, en la América Central|location=Guatemala|title=Decretos del organismo ejecutivo|date=29 April 1907d|language=Spanish}}
• {{cite news|last=Gamboa|first=Federico|title=Mi diario|year=1934|publisher=Ediciones Botas|location=México|language=Spanish}}
• {{cite news|author=Nuestro Diario|location=Guatemala|authorlink=Federico Hernández de León|title=Presidente Lázaro Chacón obligado a renunciar a la presidencia por enfermedad|newspaper=Nuestro Diario|date=13 December 1930|language=Spanish}}
• {{cite news|author=Nuestro Diario|location=Guatemala|title=Alzados deponen al presidente Palma|newspaper=Nuestro Diario|date=17 December 1930|language=Spanish}}
• {{cite news|author=Nuestro Diario|location=Guatemala|title=El general Manuel María Orellana presidente de la República|newspaper=Nuestro Diario|date=18 December 1930|language=Spanish}}
• {{cite news|author=Time|year=1930|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,752727-1,00.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104231154/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,752727-1,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2013|title=Wrong horse No. 2|newspaper=Time magazine|location=United States}}
• {{cite news|author=Time|year=1931|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,930290,00.html?iid=digg_share|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215025533/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,930290,00.html?iid=digg_share|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 December 2008|title=We are not amused|newspaper=Time magazine|location=United States}}
• {{cite news|author=Time|year=1931b|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,741436,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215032657/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,741436,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 December 2008|newspaper=Time magazine|title= Died. General Lazaro Chacon, 56, President of Guatemala|location=United States}}

{{refend}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-off}}

{{succession box|title=President of Guatemala|before=Manuel María Orellana|after=Jorge Ubico|years=1931
(acting)}}

{{s-end}}

{{GuatemalaPres}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reina Andrade, Jose Maria}}

Category:20th-century presidents of Guatemala

Category:Vice presidents of Guatemala

Category:1860 births

Category:1947 deaths

Category:Liberal Party (Guatemala) politicians