Juan Nepomuceno Cortina

Cortina, Juan Nepomuceno (1824–94), civil rights leader who fought for fair treatment of Mexican Americans. Cortina earned a reputation as the “Robin Hood of South Texas” because he opposed the unfair treatment of Mexican Americans in Texas after the Mexican War (1846–48). Cortina led raids throughout Texas to demand that Spanish-speaking Americans receive the same treatment as their English- speaking counterparts. Cortina was eventually chased by U.S. troops into Mexico, where he became a military leader and governor of the state of Tamaulipas.