Day 712 — Sheinbaum Leads 179th Niños Héroes Chapultepec Ceremony as Commander-in-Chief; Defense Secretary Pledges 'Absolute Loyalty'

On September 13, 2026 (Day 712, Sunday), President Sheinbaum, in her capacity as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, led the ceremony marking the 179th anniversary of the 1847 defense of Chapultepec Castle against the U.S. invasion, held at the Altar a la Patria in the Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City, before members of Congress, federal officials, military commanders, cadets and students. Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla Trejo delivered the main address, calling to "strengthen our national unity, transmit to our children and youth the love for Mexico" and pledging that the Armed Forces would continue contributing to security and welfare "under your guidance," with "absolute loyalty" to Mexico and its institutions. A company of cadets from the Heroico Colegio Militar fired a rifle salute in memory of the six cadets who died defending the castle in 1847: Lieutenant Juan de la Barrera and cadets Juan Escutia, Agustín Melgar, Vicente Suárez, Fernando Montes de Oca and Francisco Márquez. Trevilla Trejo framed national sovereignty as both a constitutional mandate and a historical responsibility. Sheinbaum was scheduled to travel afterward to Pachuca, Hidalgo, to continue her "Honestidad y Resultados" report tour with a regional accountability event at the Domo de las Estrellas.