University of Texas at El Paso DigitalCommons@UTEP Open Access Theses & Dissertations 2013-01-01 Routes of Compromise: Road Building and Motor Transportation in Modern Mexico, 1920-1952 Michael K. Bess University of Texas at El Paso, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.utep.edu/open_etd Part of the Economic History Commons, and the Latin American History Commons Recommended Citation Bess, Michael K., "Routes of Compromise: Road Building and Motor Transportation in Modern Mexico, 1920-1952" (2013). Open Access Theses & Dissertations. 1586. https://digitalcommons.utep.edu/open_etd/1586 This is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UTEP. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UTEP. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ROUTES OF COMPROMISE: ROAD BUILDING AND MOTOR TRANSPORTATION IN MODERN MEXICO, 1920-1952 MICHAEL KIRKLAND BESS DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY APPROVED ___________________________________ Samuel Brunk, Ph.D., Chair ___________________________________ Charles Ambler, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Ernesto Chávez, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Stacey Sowards, PhD. ___________________________________ Benjamin C. Flores, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate School Copyright © By Michael K. Bess 2013 Dedication to Mayeli, Nora, and Melvin ROUTES OF COMPROMISE: ROAD BUILDING AND MOTOR TRANSPORTATION IN MODERN MEXICO, 1920-1950 by Michael Kirkland Bess DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at El Paso in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of History THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO December 2013 Acknowledgements My work in graduate school has brought me into contact with many wonderful people who inspired me, challenged me, and helped me to become a better scholar. First, I would like to thank Samuel Brunk, my dissertation advisor at the University of Texas at El Paso, who patiently guided me through the process of framing, organizing, and writing my topic. He has been a great mentor and counselor. I would also like to thank the members of my committee: Charles Ambler, Ernesto Chávez, and Stacey Sowards. Their example as scholars has had a great impact on me and I am deeply grateful to them. Likewise, I want to acknowledge and thank all of the other professors I have had the opportunity to work with at UTEP: Cheryl Martin, Yolanda Leyva, Jeff Shepherd, Adam Aaronson, Sandra McGee-Deutsch, Paul Edison, Charles Martin, Dana Lightfoot, Julia Schiavone-Camacho, and Brad Cartwright. In the office, special thanks goes to Alma Acosta; without her help much of this process would have been considerably more difficult. The College of Liberal Arts and the College of Graduate Studies, Dr. Diana Natalicio, Dean Patricia Witherspoon, Dean Benjamin Flores, and Dr. Bess Sirmon-Taylor provided generous support and professional assistance that was critical to the development and completion of this project. In addition, I would like to thank the many gracious individuals at the state archives in Veracruz and Nuevo León, the national archives in Mexico City, the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, the Universidad Veracruzana, and the Instituto de Tecnología y Estudios Superiores de Monterrey whose patience and professional incite helped my work enormously. In the Borderlands History program, I had the pleasure of collaborating with great colleagues, many of who became my close friends; in particular, I would like to thank Kristopher Klein, Lina Murillo, Dennis Aguirre, Melanie Rodríguez, Jared Tamez, Mario Villa, Susie v Aquilina, Jaime Ruíz, Heather Sinclair, and Cullen Haskins for their examples, patience, good humor, and understanding. I would also like to acknowledge Nancy Aguirre, Mayra Ávila, Jessica Bergen, Cristóbal Borges, Joanna Camacho, Scott Comar, Jill Constantin, Sandra Ivette Enríquez, Miguel Juárez, Pamela Krch, Aaron Margolis, Violeta Mena, Gene Morales, Monet Muñoz, Juana Moriel, John Paul Nuño, Nohemí Orozco, Stephanie Parham, Cynthia Renteria, David Romo, María Schrock, James Starling, and J. Aaron Waggoner for their support. There are also a number of people at Georgia Southern University and Franciscan University of Steubenville that I would like to acknowledge; without their encouragement, this project would not have come to fruition. At GSU, these include my advisor and friend, Laura Shelton, who has been a great support in my academic career; Michelle Haberland, Robert Batchelor, and Debra Sabia were wonderful teachers to have as a student. I would also like to thank Craig Roell, Donald Rakestraw, John Steinberg, Nancy Schumaker, Alan Downs, Jon Bryant, and Charles Crouch as well as Danielle Smith, Carlyn Pinkins, David Cyrus, Jason Freeman, Derek Lewis, Shawn Wiley, and Joy Baldwin. At Franciscan, I would like to thank Matt O’Brien, Mike Fitzgerald, and Bob Doyle. Finally, I would like to express my deep gratitude for the love and support that my family and friends have provided. My partner and best friend Mayeli, my parents Nora and Melvin, my cousins Steven, JR, Hazel, Debbie, Jon, Miguel, and their families, and especially Ryan C. Otero. In addition, I would like to acknowledge Carmen Hernández, the Peralta family, Evita Hernández and family, and the Casa de Los Amigos for their generous hospitality and friendship in Mexico, and give a very special thanks to Hayden Vaverek, Mike Kukula, Ryan Larson, Andrew Fredericks, Skip Holden, Daniel Paez, Bihong Chang, Oscar Beltran, Javi Calzadillas, vi Jess Peralta, Oscar Peralta, Crystal Peralta, Shelley Dermody, Sarah Janes, Lupe Jimenez, Aide Sanchéz, Aurelio and Lizett Macarena, and Mike Edwards. vii Abstract This work explores the material and cultural impact of road building in Mexico (1920- 1952), how the public responded to socio-economic transformations wrought by new infrastructure, and the role that state agencies and private companies played. It surveys public and private promotion of transportation infrastructure, the organizational culture of the state road-building bureaucracy, U.S.-Mexico bilateral relations related to technology transfer, and the significance of motor travel in Mexican popular culture. viii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... v Abstract ................................................................................................................................. viii Table of Contents .................................................................................................................. ix Chapter 1. Introduction: Road Building and the Path of ‘Progress’ in Modern Mexico ...... 1 Chapter 2. “A Good Road… Brings Life to All of the Towns It Passes”: Paving the Way for Mexico’s National Road-Building Program, 1920-1926 ...................................................... 20 Chapter 3. Bureaucracy, Politics and Culture: Building Roads and Shaping the Nation, 1925- 1935 ....................................................................................................................................... 48 Chapter 4. Driving Cardenismo: Directions Old and New for Road Building and Motor Travel, 1934-40 ................................................................................................................................. 82 Chapter 5. Routes of Conflict: Road Building, Binational Engagement, and Motor Travel in Mexico as the World Goes to War, 1940-1945 .................................................................... 119 Chapter 6. “Those Who Do Not Look Forward are Left Behind”: Building Roads for a Golden Age, 1946-1952 ..................................................................................................................... 148 Chapter 7. Conclusion: Charting the Contours of Power and ‘Progress’ in Modern Mexico’s Road-Building Efforts ........................................................................................................... 183 Appendices ............................................................................................................................ 195 Appendix A: Growth of the National Federal Highway Network, 1928-1952 .............. 195 Appendix B: National Gasoline Consumption, 1925-1952 ............................................ 195 Appendix C1: Registered Motor Vehicles In Circulation Nationwide, 1924-1952 ....... 196 Appendix C2: Registered Motorbuses in Circulation Nationwide, 1924-1952 .............. 196 Appendix D1: Motor Vehicle Traffic: Nuevo León Highways, 1940-1950 ................... 197 Appendix D2: Motor Vehicle Traffic: Veracruz Highways, 1940-1950 ........................ 197 Appendix E: National Minimum Wage .......................................................................... 198 Appendix F: Value of the Peso to the Dollar, 1920-1952 .............................................. 198 Appendix G: Foreign Tourism to Mexico, 1929-1952 ................................................... 199 Appendix H1: Federal Highway Network: Nuevo León, 1938 ...................................... 200 Appendix H2: Federal Highway Network: Veracruz to Mexico City, 1940 .................. 201 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 202 Vita .......................................................................................................................................