-
Diaz declares himself president
On November 28, 1876, Porfirio Diaz declared himself the new president of Mexico. His rule was harsh and arbitrary, and his biggest concern was economic development and foreign relations. The upper and middle classes were his main focus, and the pillars of his dictatorship were the rurales and the Catholic Church. His motto was "pan o palo", literally meaning "bread or the club”. The period from 1876 to 1911 is known as the Porfiriato, or the period when Porfirio Diaz was in control of Mexico. -
Diaz has Madero arrested
Díaz had had Madero and 6000 supporters arrested in June of 1910, but released him in October of that same year. He was arrested because of his opposition towards Diaz. He claimed Diaz and his regime were undemocratic and illegal under the provisions of the 1857 constitution, and criticized his suppression of worker strikes and agrarian policy. The prisoners were released after Diaz was reelected (in a rigged election), and Madero lost, creating more opposition to the regime. -
Diaz is re-elected
In July 1910, in a rigged election, (after saying that he wouldn't run, and that he wanted an opposition party) Diaz defeated Madero and was prepared, at age 80, to begin his seventh term as the Mexican president. He ran against Madero, but had him and 6000 of his supporters arrested after the force proved to be competition for the presidency. The prisoners were realeased in October of that year. Support for Madero grew substantially during this time. -
Madero publishes the Plan of San Luis Potosi
In October 1910, Madero crossed into the United States and published his Plan de San Luis Potosi, which called the election a farse, and declared it to be null and void. He claimed that he was the real president, and called for an armed rebellion against Diaz's government on November 20th. The fighting began in Chihuahua, where Orozco was the initial leader. The army was comprised of miners, cowboys, ranchers, etc. and their motivation was unemployment, the recession, and political stagnation. -
The Treaty of Ciudad Juarez was signed
It was a peace treaty between President Diaz and revolutionary leader Madero, basically put an end to the fighting between forces supporting Madero and Díaz and concluded the initial phase of the Revolution. It stated that Diaz and his VP were to step down by the end of May, to be replaced with an interim president--Francisco Leon de la Barra. Diaz left for France. It failed to mention previously promised social reforms, and left the Diaz regime largely intact. -
Madero became president
Madero entered Mexico City in June 1911, after Diaz's exile, and in October he became president almost unanimously, in an honest election -- a rare occurrence. He was sworn into office on November 6th. He makes several mistakes, including demobilizing the army in the north, and failing to make reforms that he had previously promised. This resulted in conflict between Zapata and Madero; Madero had created something that he could no longer control, the revolution didn't end as he thought it would. -
La Decena Tragica
It was a series of events that took place over 10 days (Feb. 9-Feb. 19, 1913) in Mexico City, which resulted in a coup d'état, the assassination of Madero and his VP, and the rise of President Victoriano Huerta. It was a counterrevolutionary act to end Madero, involving generals Reyes, F Diaz, and Mondragon. It began when a group led by mondragon took up arms and released the other generals, who were being kept as prisoners. Governmental offices were raided, and it was declared a state of seige. -
Madero was overthrown
Unable to make the promised reforms, Madero’s popularity plunged. His regime was beset by revolts from generals who served under Diaz, and peasant leaders seeking social and land reforms. Rebels stormed the presidential palace with 2000 supporters. Reyes was killed, and F. Diaz took the supporters and retreated to Ciudadela, where Huerta was put in charge of suppression. Madero was deposed on February 18th, and four days later both he and his VP were assassinated by Huerta, who took control. -
The Tampico Affair
In April 1914, 7 U.S. sailors were arrested for entering a restricted area and were paraded through hostile crowds in the Gulf coastal town. It was brought to the attention of a Mexican official, they were released and an informal apology issued. The U.S. Fleet commander demanded that Mexico raise the American flag, provide a 21-gun salute and a formal apology. They refused the salute. On April 20, Wilson sought Congressional approval for armed intervention, and the attack on Veracruz began. -
Huerta's downfall
Huerta tried to enhance his status by vowing to invade Texas, but his days as "president" were limited. The U.S. continued to hold ground in Veracruz, while the armies of Carranza, Villa and Zapata were converging on Mexico City. On June 15, 1914, after Villa’s troops defeated his federal forces in Zacatecas, Huerta resigned and fled to Spain. Victory over Huerta did not bring peace, but instead a new clash between revolutionary leaders; Villa and Zapata against Carranza and Obregon. -
Convention of Aguascalientes
After Huerta, Carranza took over the national palace and called the convention . It was intended to settle differences between the “big four”, but resulted in the election of Eulalio Gutierrez as President of Republic and the appointment of Villa to commander of the Conventionalist Army, who would take up arms against the '“rebellious” Carranza. After the meeting, Villa and Zapata entered Mexico City with 60,000 men and took control. Consequently, Carranza and his supporters fled to Veracruz. -
Carranza recieves U.S. recognition
In August 1915, Carranza's troops entered Mexico City a second time. The United States recognized Carranza as de facto president in October of 1915 only after Carranza supported a Mexican-American rebellion by sending troops, but he was not constitutionally elected until 1917. By the end of that year, Villa was on the run. The U.S./Carranza relations during his reign were usually at very high stress, but the U.S. provided resources and troops necessary to Carranza’s cause. -
Villa raids Columbus, New Mexico
It began as a raid conducted by Villa's Division of the North on the small U.S. border town of Columbus, N.M. in March of 1916. It escalated into a battle between the Villistas and the U.S. Army. Villa led it, but was driven back by the 13th Cavalry. The attack angered Americans and as a result, President Wilson ordered the Pancho Villa Expedition, in which the U.S. Army invaded Mexico attempting to capture him (it failed). Many casualties resulted on both sides. -
The Villista movement of 1916
In 1916, Villa reappears and calls for a renewed movement. Many were suffering from unemployment at the time, and they raided the north without much hindrance. Between Sept. and Dec., he was successful in 22 battles, capturing more arms and ammo to fuel the rebels. It was misguided however, and alienated them from the lower classes, with mass murder and rape (90 women murdered in Torreon). They lose virtually all support, and resort to guerilla warfare in the mountains. The movement crumbled. -
The Constitution of 1917 takes effect
Carranza called for the Constitutional Convention, lobbying for a moderate liberal constitution. IOpposed by the left wing, the constitution turned out to be more radical than Carranza had originally intended. It increased his power, and gave the government the power to take private property in addition to restricting the Catholic Church and providing certain social/labor rights. Its creation led to the Cristero War, because of the anticlerical laws. -
Carranza becomes president
Carranza, who had been ruling provisionally, officially became president on March 11, 1917, by a landslide vote. Under Carranza, Zapata was killed, tensions grew between Mexico and the U.S. with the Zimmerman Telegram (the U.S. was forced to retreat to avoid war), Villa began raiding again, and the Constitution of 1917 was drafted. When he refused to leave office in 1919, Obregon rose against him, and he was killed in May of that year, leading to a change in office. -
Obregon was elected president
Obregon was the first stable president since 1910. He oversaw mass educational reform (with Mexican muralism flourishing), land reform, and labor laws. In September 1920, he accepted Villa's offer of surrender, officially ending the revolution. In 1924, Plutarco Elías Calles was elected president, and although Obregon retired to Sonora, he remained influential. He won the 1928 election, but before his term began, he was assassinated by a Catholic angered by Calles’s treatment of Catholics.
