Ensenada Cruisers

November 20 commemorates the 101st anniversary of the Mexican Revolution which started on November 20, 1910 when Francisco I. Madero planned an uprising against dictator Porfirio Díaz's 31-year-long iron rule. Article 74 of the Mexican labor law (Ley Federal del Trabajo) provides that the third Monday of November (regardless the date) will be an official holiday in Mexico. This was a modification of the law made in 2005, effective since 2006; before then, it was November 20 regardless of the day, and all schools gave extended holidays if the day was a Tuesday or Thursday. Although November 20 is the official day, the uprising started on different days in different parts of the country and was the start of the popular movement which led to the overthrow of dictator José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori after 34 years of military rule but ushered in over a decade of civil war which ultimately led to the promulgation of the nation’s constitution in 1917 and the 1920 ascension to the presidency of General Álvaro Obregón.

General Porfirio Díaz had been an important military figure during the wars against the foreign invaders, and had tried to overthrow President Benito Juarez in 1872. Then again, he rebelled against President Lerdo de Tejada in 1876 and won. Porfirio, as he was called, had been in power for more than 30 years (1876-1911).  Under his rule, Mexico had political stability and grew in many areas, creating new industries, railroads, kilometers of railroad tracks as well as the increase of foreign capital. Non-the less, this progress was not translated into the peoples’ well being.

Soon there was political unrest. The unhappiest sectors of the Mexican society were the peasants and labor workers. To defend these two popular sectors, Ricardo Flores Magón founded the Mexican Liberal Party. Flores Magón was obviously persecuted by the Porfirist regime, and died in an American prison. In 1906 the army brutally repressed a strike of miners in the Cananea mine in Sonora As you can see, Díaz did every thing in his power to crush any uprisings. The Cananea massacre is historically considered the spark that finally ignited Mexico’s Revolution.

In early 1909 Francisco I. Madero founded the Anti Reelectionist Party. Madero came from a wealthy family from Coahuila. He had studied business in France as well as in the U.S. He vigorously fought against reelection and for democracy and liberty in Mexico through his political newspaper articles. The Anti Reelectionist party designated him to run for President in the elections of 1910. Díaz was now under constant pressure, and on June 6^th he ordered the imprisonment of Madero augmenting that he was “inciting rebellion and offending the authorities”. Francisco I. Madero was taken to a prison in San Luis Potosí, where he awaited the results of the elections. There he learned that through an electoral fraud Díaz declared himself President of Mexico one more time! 

Then and there Madero, who had always been a pacifist, decided to flee from prison and call for a National Insurrection on November 20 1910.  He declared the electoral process invalid and appointed provisional Governors. Immediately, uprising broke out in several Mexican states. The first were Puebla, Coahuila, Chihuahua and Sonora. Ciudad Juárez , Chihuahua, was taken by the insurrectors: Pascual Orozco and Francisco “Pancho” Villa. When the city surrendered Madero set up his provisional government there.  Díaz was then forced to resign and had to abandon the country. Some of the most important Revolutionaries were Pascual Orozco, Francisco "Pancho " Villa in the northern states, and Emiliano Zapata in the south.

New elections took place in 1911, and Madero was elected President of Mexico.  Unfortunately, peace was not to come to this country for a while. Several Revolutionary leaders couldn’t settle their differences. Madero wanted to work steadily and patiently towards bettering the economic and social situation. But many revolutionary commanders wanted immediate change, which was impossible to accomplish. Pascual Orozco, for example, led and lost a revolt against Madero. Three Porfirist generals also attacked President Madero, who in turn, appointed Victoriano. Huerta to repress the offensive. A fatal decision…. In time history would prove that Victoriano Huerta was the utmost traitor of the Revolution. Francisco I. Madero was captured and assassinated by Huerta’s accomplices. The vice-president and a brother of Madero were also killed. Huerta’s victory would be short-lived. A new Revolutionary movement emerged with unprecedented force; it was called the Constitutionalist Movement.   Huerta had to flee the country in 1914.  In 1917 the Constitution was reformed.  Fighting among revolutionary groups did not end until 1920.                                                                                    

                                                                                                                                                                       The Revolution had at last triumphed!