Benito Juárez was a Zapotec lawyer, liberal reformer, and president of Mexico. He is one of the most celebrated figures in Mexican history, remembered for defending the republic, promoting liberal reforms, and resisting the French Intervention and the empire of Maximilian.

Juárez is associated with the Reform Laws, secular government, and the famous idea that respect for the rights of others is peace. For citizenship learners, he is essential because he represents republican government, rule of law, national sovereignty, and the possibility of Indigenous leadership at the highest level of the Mexican state.