the president and the guns of the rebelling guardsmen (March 14, 1858). The guardsmen backed down and did not shoot. Prieto composed the satirical song of the Liberal army, "Los cangrejos" (The Crabs). It was to the tune of "Los cangrejos" that the Liberals under General Jesús González Ortega reentered Mexico City in January 1861, ending the War of the Reform. After the return of the Republican government to Mexico City, Prieto, again minister of finance, published the decree of February 5, 1861 declaring that ecclesiastical property was and had always been property of the nation, and that as a consequence, contracts and other dealings celebrated by the clergy without the consent of the constitutional government were null and void. He later served as minister of foreign relations in the government of José María Iglesias. In 1890 the periodical La República held a poll to choose the most popular poet in Mexico. Prieto won easily. He was named by Ignacio Manuel Altamirano the "Mexican poet par excellence, the poet of the Fatherland". According to Eladio Cortés, in his old age "he became somewhat of an eccentric in his manners and in his general appearance". He died in Tacubaya on 2 March 1897 at age 79, in the presence of his second wife, Emilia Golard, his children and his grandchildren. Works A prolific author in many genres, with a festive and ironic style, Prieto's political passion is never far beneath the surface. He is remembered especially for the following works. Poetry Versos inéditos (2 vol., Mexico City, Imprenta del Comercio de Dublán y Chávez, 1879), includes two sections: "Poesías varias" and "Poesías festivas y Musa callejera". Musa callejera (3 vol., Mexico City, Tipografía Literaria de Filomeno Mata, 1883), a retelling of Mexican folklore topics. El romancero nacional (Mexico City, Oficina Tipográfica de la Secretaría de Fomento, 1885), a patriotic epic. Prose Memorias de mis tiempos de 1828 a 1840 (Paris, 1906) Memorias de mis tiempos de 1840 a 1853 (Paris, 1906) Viajes de orden supremo (unfinished, 1857) Viajes a los Estados Unidos (3 vol., Mexico City, Dublán y Chávez, 1878) Compendio de Historia Universal Drama El Alférez (1840) Alonso de Ávila (May 1, 1842) Los tres Boticarios El Susto de Pinganillas (March 19, 1843) Patria y Honra La Novia del Erario Monólogo a mi Padre As professor of political economy and later professor of national history at the Military College, Prieto