He Plan of Tuxtepec Was a revolutionary Mexican statement made by Porfirio Diaz to remove the government of Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, who aspired to his re-election. In this statement Lerdo de Tejada was responsible for the origin of the revolution in the face of the impossibility of finding a peaceful solution.
The fundamental provisions of the Plan of Tuxtepec were the prohibition of the reelection of the president and the state governors, as well as a denunciation to the corruption and privileges of the government. Later this declaration was modified by the Plan of Palo Blanco, naming to Diaz commander of the revolutionary forces.
There are, therefore, two authentic versions of the Plan of Tuxtepec, one signed by Diaz, dated December 1875 and without reference to place or day; And the other, dated January 10, 1876, in the Villa de Ojitlán, District of Tuxtepec, Oaxaca.
The process culminated in the triumph of the revolutionary movement in Battle of Tecoac (November 16, 1876), and finally, raising Porfirio Diaz to the presidency (1876-1880, 1884-1911).
Background of the Plan of Tuxtepec
After the death of President Benito Juárez in July 1872, Lerdo de Tejada, who held the position of President of the Supreme Court, assumed the presidency on an interim basis until new elections were held, with him and General Porfirio Díaz .
Lerdo was victorious and assumed the presidency for the period from 1872 to 1876. Before completing the period, began a controversial campaign seeking his re-election, even going through legal amendments to the Constitution ("Laws of Reform").
In the new election, Lerdo had the support of the Legislative Power, which declared the electoral result valid and proclaimed president, despite allegations of fraud by the Judiciary and its refusal to recognize the legitimacy of the process.
Diaz had previously rebelled against the possibility of presidential reelection, as he proclaimed in his previous Plan de la Noria (in 1871), but Lerdo already had the legal backing for his new proclamation, thanks to the Laws of the Reformation.
With the support of a fraction of the military led by Colonel Hermenegildo Sarmiento and the Porfiristas Vicente Riva Palacio, Protasio Tagle and Irineo Paz, Porfirio Diaz organized the uprising in arms through the Plan of Tuxtepec.
In that plan, Diaz declares his adherence to the constitution of 1857 and proclaims the guarantee of municipal autonomy, with the principle of"No Mexican being perpetuated in power and this will be the last revolution", and the motto of"Effective Suffrage; No re-election." After his revolutionary triumph, Diaz ends up being proclaimed president and the bases are laid for the Porfiriato.
Content of the statement
The Plan of Tuxtepec begins by denouncing the government for the misuse of its functions and powers, its contempt for the authorities and its obstacles to facilitate the peaceful way.
The right to suffrage without fraud and with democratic guarantees, as well as the respect for the sovereignty of all the States and the support especially to the frontier States is vindicated. It also calls for a justified and transparent use of the public treasury.
Porfirio Díaz and Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada
In successive lines, it denounces the corruption and powers of the district judges as well as the despotism of the Executive Power; The right of the municipalities to autonomy is exalted and it is vindicated to the legislative power currently silenced by the Senate manipulated by Lerdo de Tejada.
Also denounced are unfavorable trade and agricultural agreements, based on privileges, monopolies and interventionism, as well as the general corruption that prevails in the Government.
The first article of the Plan of Tuxtepec declares its adherence to the Constitution of 1857, the Act of Reforms of 1873, and the law of 1874. Next, the Law of Non-Reelection of president and governors of the States is proclaimed supreme, that will be Legally included in the constitutional reform.
The third article of the Plan rejects Lerdo de Tejada as president, along with all the officials and employees personally appointed by him and named in the 1875 elections.
The following article recognizes all governors of States who adhere to the plan, or, in their absence, provisional recognition of the governor appointed by the chief in arms.
It is then established that, two months after the occupation of the capital of the Republic, elections will be called for Supreme Powers of the Union.
At the end of the electoral process, the president of the Supreme Court of Justice is provisionally declared as chief executive, who must previously have adhered to all clauses of the Plan.
Finally, once the Constitutional Congress has been formed, it will focus first on the constitutional reform that guarantees the independence of the municipalities and organizes politically the Federal District. Likewise, generals, chiefs and officials are required to join the Plan.
Revolutionary rise
The Tuxtepec Plan was later modified by Porfirio Diaz to win supporters. Among the modifications made at Palo Blanco in March 1876, Diaz was proclaimed the head of the revolution and executive power was assigned to the person who obtained a majority of votes among the state governors.
Likewise, José María Iglesias (who had opposed Lerdo) was recognized as interim president. In this way it was sought to grant greater legality to the movement and to obtain the approval and support of Iglesias.
Meanwhile, Lerdo continued his campaign of re-election, winning electors in the public and military sphere on the basis of impositions and coercions.
Lerdo then had another rival, Iglesias, who was president of the Supreme Court of Justice, having declared void the elections in view of the electoral fraud of 1876.
Lerdo's troops are victorious in the confrontation of Icamole, Coahuila, before the revolutionary forces, forcing Diaz to retire in search of reinforcements.
With a larger and better organized group of porfiristas, and after several battles with the troops of the Government, 16 of November of 1876, Díaz obtained the victory in Tecoac, Tlaxcala; Puebla was captured.
After Lerdo's failed attempts to maintain his power, he eventually surrendered power to Porfirista Protasio Tagle and emigrated to the United States.
On November 24, 1876, Porfirio Diaz entered Mexico City triumphantly and two days later the forces of his army arrived. Diaz then served as acting president.
References
- "Plan of Tuxtepec."Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. com. Encyclopedia.com.
- Plan of Tuxtepec. (2010) Universal Virtual Library: Plan de tuxtepec. Argentina biblioteca.org.ar.
- Delgado de Cantú, Gloria. "Mexico history. Volume 1. The process of gestation of a people". (2002) Ed Pearson 5th Ed. Mexico, D.F. Mexico.
- Diaz Zermeño, Héctor; Torres Medina, Javier. "Mexico Del Triunfo de la Republica Al Porfiriato"UNAM, Faculty of Higher Studies Acatlán, 2005. Mexico.
- Alvear Acevedo, Carlos. "Mexico history". 2007. Mexico, D. F. Ed Noriega. Mexico.
- "500 years of documents in Mexico". 19th century> 1870-1879 Garay Library. Mexico Recovered from: biblioteca.tv.
- Tavera Alfaro, Javier. "Here comes Porfirio Diaz." Institutional Repository of the Universidad Veracruzana (2002-2008) Mexico. Retrieved from: cdigital.uv.mx.
- Porrúa, Miguel Ángel. "Rights of the Mexican people. Mexico through its constitutions"Section Two. Nov. 2016. Mexico. Editorial Group Miguel Ángel Porrúa, S.A. Of C.V.
- "Plan de Tuxtepec"(2017) Wikipedia. Plan of Tuxtepec. Retrieved from: wikipedia.org.
- "Revolution of Tuxtepec"(2017) Wikipedia. Revolution of Tuxtepec. Retrieved from: wikipedia.org.