Captain Maximiliano Luna
Born: June 16, 1870, Los Lunas, Valencia County, New Mexico Territory, USA
Died: November 18, 1899, Rio Agno, Ecija Province, Luzon Island, Philippine Islands, USA
Burial Site: Drowned in the discharge of his duty. The body was never recovered.
During the Spanish-American War, Captain Maximiliano Luna was the only Hispanic captain in Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. Luna was one of the first volunteers to serve in the First Volunteer Cavalry, “Rough Riders.” Luna was a descendant of old Spanish colonial families of New Mexico. Luna fought in all the major Cuban battles and was the official translator when the Spanish surrendered.
After the Cuban campaigns, he returned to New Mexico in 1898. Luna then volunteered to fight in the Philippine Insurrection; unfortunately, Luna drowned in the Agno River in the line of duty in 1899. Luna is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in 1907. Luna was the first Hispanic name ever to appear on a monument or gravestone in Arlington National Cemetery.
Images & Documents
Hero Card 9, Card Pack 1 Photo credit: Donald Deesen Collection, Southwest Center for Research, University Libraries. https://www.herocards.us/hero9
New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, Media Center Collection, January 29, 2019.
Notes:
- Hero Cards, #9, https://www.herocards.us/hero9
- New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, Media Center Collection, January 29, 2019.
- Image of Captain Luna, Hero Card, 9, Photo credit: Donald Deesen Collection, Southwest Center for Research, University Libraries
Biography prepared by Sean Melugin, SFCC student, under the mentorship of Dr. Steve Martinez
Featured Image:
Donald Deesen Collection, Southwest Center for Research, University Libraries. Hero Card 9, Card Pack 1. https://www.herocards.us/hero9