CASUALTY RECORD // January 14, 1814
Battle of Puruarán
Estimated casualties — killed, wounded, captured, and missing — by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Casualties by side
1 sides catalogued · combined 1,000 estimated
Mexican Rebels
1,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Puruarán, fought in January 1814 near Puruarán, Michoacán, resulted in a royalist victory over insurgent forces commanded by Mariano Matamoros y Guridi. With the rebel force of roughly 1,000 sustaining casualties equal to that entire strength, the engagement effectively destroyed the insurgent contingent engaged. The loss of Matamoros as a field commander dealt a significant blow to the independence movement at a moment when royalist forces were pressing hard across Michoacán. One of the Spanish commanders at Puruarán, Agustín de Iturbide, would later switch allegiances and ultimately lead Mexico to independence, making the battle a notable early moment in his military career within the conflict.
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