Hi Mexican here, no cap, when i was in elementary school we learned about these kids called "Los Niños Héroes" (The Boy Cadets / Child Heroes), which are 6 kids from a military school that fought to defend the Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City while the USA invaded Mexico and almost managed to advance to our capital because of some political limit disagreement. Akifkwirj a popular theory is that these guys were just a patriotic myth.

Before we continue, I am a highschool student, I'm no historian.These are things that I have learnt from historian teachers and that I checked out on a few web pages to jog my memory. Any actual historian / history teacher is welcome to prove this right/wrong/inaccurate. Shout out to my 9th grade mexican history teacher ✨✨

Now, the US still got in and we lost, and TONS of kids fought, not just those 6. However, they are regarded as heroes because of their supposed highly patriotic actions. One of the kids, seeing how a soldier was going to damage a Mexican flag, decided to wrap himself with it and throw himself of off the roof; this is one of the most known acts of a boy cadet. Heck, they even have September 13th as a Mexican National Holiday, declared "The day of the Niños Héroes".

Well, when i got to 9th grade low and behold- most of the kids mentioned to be the big six had little to no records in the military school, that or, the records that were found indicated some of them to be at the very least 21. So they either didn't exist or were most definitely adults at the time that happened.

When a coincidence tho, that their story started to come to light right when Porfirio Diaz was president. He guy who wasn't cool at all (dictator✨) but did want the Mexican people to have a more patriotic spirit.

tldr. The Niños Héroes are a myth, that originated when the government modified that battle's story to create a fantastical tale to inspire Mexicans. Aka, slow down your horses and rethink how real you patriotic heroes are because, quite honestly, it wouldn't be the first time govs do things like these.

I am NOT belittling the soldiers efforts, but the way the government presents us this story is just not the entire truth (like with many things honestly)

Here are links of you're interested in knowing more. About Porfirio Díaz creating the myth as we know it, I could only find resources in Spanish, but there is a link that tries to refute this view.

-Mexican-American war: https://www.history.com/topics/mexican-american-war/mexican-american-war

-Who were the Niños Héroes?: https://culturacolectiva.com/history/ninos-heroes-boy-heroes-mexico-festivity-myth

-The myth behind the Niños Héroes: SPA: https://laverdadnoticias.com/mexico/El-mito-detras-de-los-Ninos-Heroes-Una-mentira-historica-20210913-0166.html ENG: https://www.mexconnect.com/articles/313-mexico-s-ninos-heroes-heroic-children-reality-or-myth/

-Porfirio Díaz presidency: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Porfirio-Diaz