Domingo Ugartechea

Domingo de Ugartechea (c. 1794 – 24 May 1839) was a 19th-century Mexican Army officer for the Republic of Mexico.

Domingo de Ugartechea served for José Joaquín de Arredondo in 1813. Ugartechea as well as Antonio López de Santa Anna were cadets during the suppression of the Gutiérrez–Magee Expedition, and at the Battle of Medina.

In June 1832, Ugartechea commanded 125 men at the fort at Velasco, Texas; he attempted to employ his artillery to prevent rebelling Texas colonist under John Austin from taking cannon from Brazoria to Anahuac at the time of the Anahuac disturbances. Although defeated by the Texans in the eleven-hour Battle of Velasco, Ugartechea was permitted to evacuate the fort.

In 1835 Ugartechea was military commandant of Coahuila and Texas in command of the forces at Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, all the while struggling with deficiencies in funding, supplies, and manpower. Although 200 men appeared on his rolls, only half that number were in active service. His observations from this position in the spring of that year contributed to the hardening of attitudes in Mexico concerning Anglo-American abuse of land policies and of native Tejanos in the departments of Nacogdoches and Bexar. He also considered the Texans to be disrespectful toward the government and its leaders, writing in one letter: "Nothing is heard but God damn St. Anna. God damn Ugartechea."

In mid-May 1835 Ugartechea worked through the political authorities to avoid armed conflict with the militiamen under Juan N. Seguín, who departed from the town of Bexar toward Monclova, Coahuila, to aid federalist Governor Agustín Viesca. Only last-minute concessions from political chief José Ángel Navarro prevented a clash between the militia and Ugartechea's soldiers. Subsequently, Ugartechea received and passed on to Mexico many reports that the spirit of conciliation was growing in the summer of 1835 and that the greatest threat to a consensus favoring peace would be to bring more troops from Mexico to Texas. However, at the end of July Ugartechea expressed his opinion to his superior, Martín Perfecto de Cos, that reinforcements were still quite necessary. In this way Ugartechea both reflected and furthered the hardening of attitudes that brought about war.

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