Serafin Olarte (died 1821)[1] was a Totonac chief and general who led a revolt against Spanish rule during the Mexican War of Independence in (then province) Veracruz.
[3] Olarte first appeared in 1813, when he gathered a force of 400 Totonacs and fought against the Spanish in the area near Papantla in the mountains of Cuyuxquihui.
[5] Serafin 1814 met Ignacio López Rayón in Zacatlan and formally joined the fight for Mexican independence.
[5] His force soon grew to several thousand warriors, and even though they were lightly armed compared to their opponents, he repulsed several attacks by the Spanish royalists and kept them from controlling the region.
[2] Olarte and Vicente Guerrero were the only independentist generals active during the low point of the war of independence after the execution of José María Morelos in 1815.