Need help identifying a mysterious soldier from Mexico.

[El Chintete]

Hello everybody.

I'm currently working on a Mexican army from the early 1820's to the late 30's. I was reading a book about Theubet de Beauchamp, a Swiss artist that lived for a while in Mexico. Even though he arrived in 1816, his paintings depicted people and events that happened as early as 1810 and as late as 1827. I found a depiction of what appears to be a hussar of some kind, but have no idea what kind of soldier he is. I'm referring to the one on the left:




The title of the painting is Cavalerie Mexicaine (Mexican Cavalry). Is he from the Spanish royal army? The Mexican insurgents? Or perhaps a shorlived unit from the First Mexican Empire?

I like the uniform so I'd like to include a unit of them on my tabletop. Does anybody have any recommendations for 28mm models similar to this one?

Thank you,

[sepoy1857]

That's a new one on me, but I asked a friend who is an expert. So we'll see if he gets back to me with any info.

[FifteensAway]

That figure looks very much like one of the Death's Head hussars but I have no idea why it is showing up in art representing Mexico - but I also have no idea if they served in Mexico so what do I know.  Maybe try searching for Death Head hussar miniatures.

As to having such a unit: it is a hobby, if you want to include it even if not historical, why not?  I plan to have green uniformed Germans in my Scramble period of Africa set up to be known as the Pickle Hat units (wearing picklehaub, of course).  You have license to have fun, not just to be accurate.  Well, I do and I hereby grant you similar status!   

[carlos marighela]

The uniform looks not dissimilar to the Chilean Húsares de la Muerte which took part in the liberation struggles in the early part of the century. They exist to this day as the 3rd Cavalry Regiment Húsares

The only Mexican hussars I know of are the Guard hussars (Hussars of the Supreme Power) but they date from the early 1840s IIRC and their uniform was primarily red and blue and featured a fur hussar cap.

Sorry, mystery to me as well. I doubt that there were Spanish regular hussars in Mexico so maybe a short lived Mexican unit as you suggest.

You could call them the luchadores, as their identity is always slightly mysterious beneath those masks. 

[carlos marighela]

As for figures, any Napoleonic hussar in a shako should give you a decent proxy. The Perry plastic sets of British or French Hussars spring immediately to mind with the added bonus that they will be easier to convert than metal figures, should you so desire.

[sepoy1857]

My source say's " Undoubtedly these black hussars are the ''hussars of the Muerte'' inspired by a Spanish unit". Similar to the Prussians and French. Hope that helps.

[El Chintete]

How odd indeed! Thank you sepoy1857, Carlos, and FifteensAway. It really seems like at some point in time, a Death Head Hussar inspired unit existed in Mexico. Aside from the Hussars of the Guard of the Supreme Powers, the only other properly named hussar unit I could find was the short lived Escuadrón Provincial de Húsares de Oaxaca (Hussar Provincial Squadron of Oaxaca) which was raised around 1820.

I'd to believe that the black hussar on the painting must have belonged to a unit raised during the First Mexican Empire. As Carlos has said, Chile had a black hussar unit fighting against the Spanish royalists. It would seem weird to me that, almost at the same time, the Spanish would raise a black hussar unit to fight against Mexican insurgents.

Nevertheless, I'll heed Fifteens' advice and have them on my tabletop even if I don't know who they are or where they came from. I'll just have fun!

[Cacique Caribe]

Intriguing uniforms indeed:

http://miniaturasmilitaresalfonscanovas.blogspot.com/2012/12/los-husares-de-la-muerte-1792-1793-por.html

Dan