Mexican Revolution "Facts Only"

mestizo

someone with mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry

criollo

refers to people of pure or mostly European descent

La Reforma

the feudal system that came up with haciendas

anti-clericalism

opposition to the clergy and the church

Benito Juarez

• after Santa Anna and before Diaz

• best president of the 19th century

• problems with foreign debt and countries

cientificos

• a group of businessmen who believed the problems of government and the economy could be solved by the proper application of scientific principles

• sought out foreign investment

ejido

communal land granted to peasants

hacienda

sprawling farms/ranches owned by one family

rurales

rural “police” force made up of bandits during Porfiriato

Yacquis

Indian tribe in Senora, formed part of Obregon’s reform

Jose Limantour

leader of los cientifcos, finance minister

Porfirio Diaz

• came into power after Jaurez, intending to bring peace & economic development

• ruled as a dictator until Madero replaced him

maximato

• The period of Calles’s rule, starting in his presidency and continuing through puppet presidencies, from 1928-1934

• Comes from his nickname ‘jefe maximo’

James Creelman

American journalist who interviews Diaz in the interview where he states he will not run again

Francisco Madero

• replaced Diaz as a dictator

• tried to lead the revolution, not a “true” revolutionary

• no strong social or economic plan as president

Plan of San Luis Potosi

• issued by Madero, it called for the revolution to overthrow Diaz’s rule

• first clear plan from the revolutionaries

Francisco “Poncho” Villa

• revolutionary general & a prominent figure in the northern part of the revolution

• wanted to end hacienda system and & increase lower-class govt. participation

• assassinated by agents of Carranza

Emiliano Zapata

• revolutionary leader/hero who supported land reform

  Zapatistas

• assassinated by agents of Carranza

Plan of Ayala

issued by Zapata, it stated that land taken by Diaz would be re-distribution to its original owners by force

Pascual Orozco

tried to overthrow Madero with a rebellion 60,000 strong and backed by the Terrazas and creole families

Victoriano Huerta

• overthrew Madero

• Ten Tragic Days to destabilize govt

• dictator like Diaz

• supported by landowners, capitalists, and church

• silenced the press, jailed members of congress, replaced influential positions with his own people

Henry Lane Wilson

• US ambassador to Mexico who believed his mission was to advance American business interests

• thought that Madero’s ideas bordered communism

Pact of the Embassy

a pact between Diaz and Huerta, orchestrated by Wilson, where Diaz would win the election but Huerta would be acting president

Decena Tragica

“Ten Tragic Days” an artillery duel/coup d’etat between Madero and Huerta in Mexico City in 1913

Venustiano Carranza

• president from 1916-1920, first after the revolution

• Constitutionalist

• kept Mexico neutral in WWI

Plan of Guadalupe

a plot created by Carranza to overthrow Huerta and return to a Constitution

Alvaro Obregon

• revolutionary leader after the death of Madero

• president from 1920-1924

• constitutionalist

• worked to fix poor education, corruption, violence, and exploitation of MX land

• assassinated by a Cristero after re-election

constitutionalists

• anti-Huerta & anti-clerical

• upheld the Constitution of 1857

• “land and liberty”

Convention of Aguascalientes

• a meeting, called by Carranza, of all of the revolutionary leaders

• delegates loyal to Villa and Zapata demanded change and radical land distribution

Battle of Celaya

• bloodiest battle of the revolution

• Obregon defeats Villa

Punitive Expedition

a military led by General John Pershing search for Villa as a consequence for his attack on US soil

Convention of Queretaro

a second convention called by Carranza with the goal of creating a new constitution

Jose Vasconcelos

• thought that public schooling was important to unify the nation

• led Obregon’s education changes

• founded teacher training colleges & worked to improve literacy and health of small villages

indigenismo

• the celebration and assimilation of indigenous people in an attempt to create a sense of identity

• emphasizes the relation between the nation-state and indigenous minorities

Plutarco Calles

• officially president from 1924-1928

• maintains power through three puppet presidents during the Maximato

Cristero Rebellion

Mexican Catholics revolt against the anti-clerical measures of the Constitution of 1917

Constitution of 1917

• a very radical constitution created during the Convention of Queretaro that was instituted

• stopped clerical education, included labor and land rights, stopped foreign exploitation of Mexican wealth/land

Lazaro Cardenas

• president after Calles, ending the Maximato and exiling him

• best president of the 20th century

• very progressive

Porfirato

a period from 1876-1911 where the dictator Porfirio Diaz rules

CROM

• labor organization sponsored and protected by the government

• led by Luis Morones

• became very corrupt and powerful, shut down any other unions

• Confederacion Regional Obrera Mexicana

PNR

• political party created by Calles

• the national revolutionary party

• eventually becomes institutional revolutionary party