The “kiss” that could separate Aguascalientes from Zacatecas

There are those who believe that it all starts with a kiss. The independence of Aguascalientes may have been that way.

The year was 1835, and then President Antonio López de Santa Anna was on his way to Zacatecas accompanied by 3,000 armed men, because a revolt had been unleashed against his mandate, which was led by Francisco García Salinas, the then governor of the entity.

According to official information, the constant tension between federal and state power would have caused Santa Anna to end up allowing the separation of the territory that today makes up Aguascalientes by way of sanction, a request that has been promoted for some time by the inhabitants of the region.

However, within popular knowledge, a legend emerged that has become a legend, and it is that at that time there was a rumor that María Luisa Fernández Villa would have been the key responsible for today's territorial division seeing Aguascalientes within the map of the Republic.

Legend has it that due to the length of the trip, Santa Anna decided that he and his troops would rest in a locality in what is now Aguascalientes.

Upon arriving in that region, the general and his troops were greeted with flowers and Chinese paper adorning Morelos Street. This is how he was received at the residence of Pedro García Rojas and Luisa Fernández, as the owners offered him accommodation before continuing his trip.

Legend has it that during the dinner, the hosts focused the conversation on the wishes of the locals to leave Zacatecas, as they were fed up with the lack of jobs, schools and the unfair collection of taxes, of which they saw no fruit.

At one point during the evening, Don Pedro Garcia had to go out to attend to some business matters (since he was a merchant) leaving Santana and his wife alone. The bad tongues say that it was at that moment when the woman assured the then president that the inhabitants of now Aguacalientes were willing to do anything for their independence.

Perhaps this suggestion could upset or tempt the general, because the story tells that Santa Anna took the hand of Doña Luisa, who was captivated by the beauty of women. The military man just stole a kiss from him. Some versions claim that this one was long and passionate, others more than this was just a rub on the cheek. Anyway, it is believed that that kiss was the one that defined the future of Zacatecas and Aguascalientes.

This April 13 commemorates the International Day of the Kiss, declared as the date on which the longest kiss in history was given, which lasted more than 58 hours.

This is thanks to the fact that a Thai couple won their place in the Guinness Book of Records by spending almost two and a half days without separating their lips or going to the bathroom and winning a contest. How did this custom begin in India and who brought it to the Western world.

As part of this unusual commemoration, people celebrate what the Royal Academy defines as the action of touching or oppressing someone or something with a movement of lips as an expression of love, desire or reverence, or as a greeting. It is also on this date that the most controversial kisses in history are remembered, those that played a definitive role or marked the collective memory, even if they were only rumors.

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