SEPTEMBER 15, 1830

MEXICAN PRESIDENT MESTIZO PORFIRO DIAZ BORN

Díaz, born in Oaxaca, Mexico, joined the army during the Mexican American War and served in the struggle against Emperor Maximillian (1861–67). Resigning command, Diaz protested against President Juárez’s 1871 reelection and, later, led a failed revolt against President Tejada in 1876. Defeating government forces at the Battle of Tecoac (1876), Diaz became president in May 1877 and quickly built a strong political machine. Choosing Manuel González as his successor in 1882, he ran against and defeated him in 1884. As president for the next 26 years, Díaz centralized government and controlled patronage, the legislature, courts, and press. He gave mestizos jobs; rich Creoles prestigious positions; and the Catholic Church noninvolvement. By 1908, with the economy declining, Díaz initially announced his retirement, but then allowed reformer Francisco Madero to run against him. When Diaz won, Madero led a revolution. Díaz resigned and went into exile. He died in Paris on July 2, 1915.

Source: “Porfirio Diaz: Presidency & Facts,” Britannica.  Retrieved 11/10/2023, Porfirio Diaz | Presidency & Facts | Britannica

Photo:  Author, 1919 or before. Public Domain.  Source:  Mexico: Its Ancient and Modern Civilisation by Charles Reginald (1919).