If Diogenes, wielding his famous lamp, ever came into a gallery of Mexican presidents, he wouldn’t come away completely empty-handed. In his quest for an honest man, he would snare at least two for his collection: Benito Juárez and Lázaro Cárdenas. Since Juárez is the subject of another profile in this series, the focus here will be on […]
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In art as in life, Diego Rivera was a man constantly in rebellion. At 16, he left the prestigious San Carlos Academy in Mexico City in protest against the academy’s emphasis on representational art. He became an avid Marxist but outraged the Stalinist regime in the Soviet Union by welcoming Trotsky to Mexico. Rivera shocked […]
Continue ReadingThe term ” corregidor” is normally associated with an island in the Philippines that witnessed one of the most dramatic and tragic episodes of the Second World War — when a starving, outgunned, and outnumbered band of American and Filipino soldiers finally surrendered to a Japanese invasion force after heroic but futile resistance. But how did […]
Continue ReadingIt is hardly coincidence that the Chiapas rebels under Subcomandante Marcos call themselves Zapatistas and not Villistas or Carrancistas or Obregonistas or even Maderistas — to name other illustrious figures from the Mexican Revolution. Of all the revolutionary leaders, Emiliano Zapata was the most radical and the most committed to social justice. Detractors say that […]
Continue ReadingIn any political struggle, the spectator’s first instinct is to look for a hero and a villain. But you don’t always encounter a good guy-bad guy matchup. Though the Soviet Union was our ally in the war against a mega-meanie like Hitler, Stalin was later unmasked as a paranoid tyrant and mass murderer whose malefactions […]
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Born in 1859 as one of fifteen children of a wealthy landowner. Well educated. Entered politics as a municipal president. Later served as a state legislator, federal deputy and state governor under Díaz. Joined with Madero in 1909 to plan an armed rebellion against Díaz. Minister of war in Madero’s provisional government and later interim […]
Continue ReadingNote: Click images for summary biographies of the key individuals Mexico in September 1910 could be compared to a shiny apple whose glossy skin conceals a putrifying interior. But the corruption underneath was still a secret to the rest of the world. Porfirio Díaz, the old dictator who had held power since 1876, was probably […]
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Born March 23, 1854 in Colotlan, Jalisco. Educated in a rural school and attended Colegio Militar de Chapultepec. Huerta’s career advanced during the Díaz presidency. Huerta was allowed to remain in the army when Madero became president. Was named head of the federal forces when Orozco and others rebelled against Madero. In February 1913, Huerta […]
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A principal figure in the history of Mexico, and a principal figure in the Mexican Revolution, Francisco “Pancho” Villa was born June 5, 1877, ’78 or ’79 in Grande, or San Juan del Río, Durango as Doroteo Arango (there conflicting sources as to where and when he was born). He became a fugitive when he […]
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Born in Parras, Coahuila on October 30, 1873. Son of a wealthy landowner. Family was devoted to ranching, farming and commerce. Studied commerce and economics in France and agriculture in the U.S. Saw the need to improve conditions in Mexico. Ran for president of Mexico against Díaz. He was arrested and then released, on bail, […]
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