ABSTRACT PORFIRIO DÍAZ: SAVIOR OR TYRANT OF MEXICO? Porfirio Díaz was the Mexican president who dominated the nation’s politics for a period spanning just a little over three decades. He was president of the nation from 1876 until 1911 when the Mexican Revolution removed him from the presidency. During that period he oversaw the development and renovation of the nation. As an officer in the military, Díaz defended the nation against the conservative-imposed emperor Maximilian of Hapsburg and the invading French forces. He was instrumental in the victory of the republican forces, and at the triumph of the republic he rose to the level of national hero. Having lived through a transformative period of the nation, there is a vast amount of scholarly work around his persona. The current historiography on Porfirio Díaz can be divided into three categories: Porfirismo, anti-Porfirismo and neo-Porfirismo, each with its own origins and historical context. This study addresses how select scholars from these three historiographical traditions have interpreted Díaz as a soldier and statesman, explaining why and how their interpretations differ. By examining select moments in the life of Porfirio Díaz, this study will demonstrate why Díaz produced a dichotomy of love and hatred that remains present with the people of Mexico today. The ultimate goal, however, is to point out the need for a more balanced and objective treatment of Porfirio Díaz and his presidency. Armando Hernández August 2011 PORFIRIO DÍAZ: SAVIOR OR TYRANT OF MEXICO? by Armando Hernández A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History in the College of Social Sciences California State University, Fresno August 2011 APPROVED For the Department of History: We, the undersigned, certify that the thesis of the following student meets the required standards of scholarship, format, and style of the university and the student's graduate degree program for the awarding of the master's degree. Armando Hernández Thesis Author William E. Skuban (Chair) History Blain Roberts History Maria-Aparecida Lopes Chicano and Latin American Studies For the University Graduate Committee: Dean, Division of Graduate Studies AUTHORIZATION FOR REPRODUCTION OF MASTER’S THESIS X I grant permission for the reproduction of this thesis in part or in its entirety without further authorization from me, on the condition that the person or agency requesting reproduction absorbs the cost and provides proper acknowledgment of authorship. Permission to reproduce this thesis in part or in its entirety must be obtained from me. Signature of thesis author: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge and extend my gratitude to all the people who contributed to making this a reality. I would like to start by thanking the entire faculty who prepared me for this project, as well as my fellow graduate students with whom I had numerous discussions that helped guide this project into a more specific work than I had originally intended. Needless to say, this project would have never become a reality without the support, guidance, and encouragement of my committee members. Dr. William Skuban who guided me to the proper sources and the structure for this project; Dr. Blain Roberts who meticulously helped fine tune this work; and finally, Dr. Maria-Aparecida Lopes who helped me give the proper direction to my argument and helped me refine my comments and historical narrative as accurately as possible. The time they spent discussing themes, structure, organization, grammar and other minute details truly showed their support and dedication to helping me complete this work. I can truly say that without our weekly discussions this project would have been nothing but scattered ideas without the proper direction and an un-discernable structure. For their help and support, I will be forever grateful. I would also like to thank my friends and family members who always encouraged me to continue my work and research even when I felt the task was more than I could handle. In this respect, I would like to thank my parents and brothers whose encouragement and support was unconditional. Their support and interest in seeing the completed work motivated me continue a thesis that seemed to never have a completion date. Finally, I would like to thank my wife Ana Lucia who provided love, encouragement, support, motivation and patience, while never v protesting the vast amount of time that this project took me away from her and our daughter Sarah. I cannot express my gratitude for all that she has done. This project is for them. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1 Historical Background to Mexico ..................................................................... 7 Porfirio Díaz: Road to Liberalism ..................................................................... 8 About the Authors ............................................................................................. 9 Organization .................................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER 2: DÍAZ: SOLDIER AND PATRIOT ................................................ 14 CHAPTER 3: DÍAZ: REBEL AND SUPPRESSOR ............................................. 29 CHAPTER 4: DÍAZ: SUPREME AND AUTOCRAT? ........................................ 47 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ............................................................................... 63 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................. 70 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Porfirio Díaz is probably one of the most polemical figures in Mexican history. He was the president of Mexico from 1876 to 1880 and subsequently, without interruption, from 1884 until his forced resignation in 1911. He was the head of the Mexican state for a little over three decades, making him the person who occupied the presidency of Mexico the longest. In order to understand the significance of Díaz and his tenure in office, one must understand the background that led to the rise of Díaz as the sole representative of power in Mexico. Since its independence in 1821 and up to Porfirio Díaz’s ascent to power, Mexico was torn by civil conflict. During his early military career, Díaz was known as a proud liberal who defied one of the most despised presidents of the Mexican nation, Antonio López de Santa Anna. Díaz also fought alongside Benito Juárez, one of Mexico’s most beloved presidents. Díaz defended the Mexican nation during the French Intervention and became one of the heroes of the celebrated Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. As president of Mexico, Díaz managed to modernize the country and was praised for his actions by the United States and European nations. However, popular masses remember Díaz for being a dictator who abused Mexican citizens and their rights in order to favor the interests of foreigners. Some of Díaz’s actions are remembered by the popular saying: “Mexico was the mother of foreigners, and the stepmother of Mexicans.” Because of his actions, Díaz to this day is either hated or loved by the Mexican people. There are very few who stand in the middle ground of these two extremes. The question then becomes, how does one man provoke this dichotomy of love and hatred? A possible answer to this question lies within the historiography on 2 Porfirio Díaz, which can be divided into three different categories, each a direct result of historical events in Mexico. Porfirian historiography can be divided into three categories, each of which has a specific chronology and approach to its subject: Porfirismo, anti-Porfirismo and neo-Porfirismo. The first of these historiographies, Porfirismo, presents a positive portrayal of the Mexican head of state. These works range from his early days in the Oaxacan seminary and end right before the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Anti-Porfirismo historiography is not the direct result of the Mexican Revolution of 1910, which incidentally sought to destroy the old cult of Porfirismo; however, it is most forcefully expressed after 1911. The push behind anti-Porfirismo historiography is mainly the popularization of the revolution and its leaders, who were made into the heroes and later the martyrs of the revolution. It was also necessary to create a villain, a position occupied by Porfirio Díaz, since the revolution was rooted in removing him from power. According to anti- Porfirismo historiography, the Díaz regime was the supreme example of tyranny, dictatorship and oppression, and Díaz himself was condemned for his corruption, his authoritarianism, and his betrayal of national interests. Since the 1990s, however, there have been strong indications that the image of Díaz and the interpretation of his regime have undergone a distinct transformation. As a result, the Díaz regime has been interpreted in a more positive light under neo-Porfirismo historiography, and this reevaluation has shown new trends in social, regional, and cultural history that have profoundly altered the traditional depiction of Porfirio 1 Díaz’s Mexico. Understanding how these three different historiographical 1 Paul Garner, Porfirio Díaz: Profiles in Power (Great Britain: Pearson Education Limited, 2001), 2-3. 3 traditions interpret the events of Mexico during the reign of Porfirio Díaz is fundamental to recognizing that both extremes, Porfirismo and anti- Porfirismo, are probably too generous