The Rebellion of Tuxtepec Was an armed movement in Mexico that began in 1876 under the leadership of General Porfirio Diaz in response to the pretensions of re-election of President Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada.
It was a period of turmoil and violence inside the country that ended with the victory of the rebels, the exile of Lerdo and the members of his cabinet and the beginning of Porfiriato (government of Porfirio Diaz).
Porfirio Díaz and Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada
Background to the rebellion
The rebellion of Tuxtepec originated after the death of Benito Juárez in 1872, when following the dictates of the law, Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, then president of the Supreme Court, peacefully assumed the interim presidency of the country, ending To the Revolution of La Noria (that demanded the resignation of Juárez).
Already near the culmination of his presidential term of four years, in late 1875 Lerdo de Tejada announced his intention to seek reelection.
This simple announcement reactivated the same reactions as the previous revolution: a large part of the country rose in arms demanding its resignation appealing to the Plan of Tuxtepec .
This Plan promulgated the ignorance of Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada as president of Mexico and had as its motto:"Effective Suffrage, no re-election", to indicate the non-perpetuation in power by a single man.
Porfirio Diaz shaped this plan in a document (almost modeled on the"Plan de la Noria") in which things like:
Art. 1.- The supreme laws of the Republic are: the Constitution of 1857, the Reform Laws promulgated on September 25, 1873 and the Law of December 14, 1874.
Art. 2.- The privatization of the re-election of the President and the governors has the same validity as the supreme laws.
Art. 3.- Don Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada is unauthorized as president of the Republic, as well as all the officials and employees of his government.
Art. 4.- Governments of all states will be recognized if they adhere to this plan. If this does not happen, the head of the army of each state will be recognized as governor.
Art. 5.- There will be elections for the Supreme Powers of the Union, two months after the occupation of the capital of the republic, and without convocation. Elections to Congress shall be held in accordance with the laws of February 12, 1857 and October 23, 1872, the first being the first Sunday after two months of the occupation of the capital.
Art. 7.- Once the VIII Constitutional Congress was set up, its first works will be: the constitutional reform of Article 2, which guarantees the independence of the municipalities, and the law that the political organization gives to the Federal District and the territory of California.
Art. 9.- The generals, chiefs and officials who with opportunity to assist the present plan, will be recognized in their assignments, rank and decorations.
Art. 10.- Porfirio Díaz will be recognized as commander-in-chief of the army.
Article 12.- For no reason will it be possible to enter into agreements with the enemy, under the threat of life to whoever does it.
In this way, Diaz was committed to respect the constitution of 1857 and offered the guarantee of municipal autonomy, both issues that gained him popularity.
Like in the Noria Revolution , On this occasion Porfirio Díaz was seconded by many politicians and military who recognized him as the leader perhaps because he was the hero of the war during the second French intervention in Mexico or because they saw President Lerdo as a son of Spaniards.
Facts on the Revolution of Tuxtepec
While uprisings and confrontations took place inside the capital, the president of the Supreme Court, José María Iglesias resigned and Lerdo was re-elected in an electoral process whose legality was questioned by many despite being ratified by The 8th Congress on September 26, 1876.
Iglesias claimed the presidency because, according to him, it corresponded to him for his investiture as president of the Supreme Court and because the re-election of Lerdo had been fraudulent.
He then set out on a trip to Guanajuato to begin his search for support; The governors of Guanajuato, Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, and Zacatecas supported it, but with no greater repercussions than a few battles involving the churchmen.
Meanwhile, Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada attacked and persecuted the rebels in numerous military clashes that seemed to guarantee him victory, to the point that the military activity of the government was diminished after the defeat of Porfirio Diaz in the Icamole confrontation, Nuevo León.
The revolution extended from northern Mexico to Oaxaca, and although Porfirio Diaz was defeated several times, he achieved his goal after winning the battle of Tecoac with the support of troops commanded by generals Juan N. Méndez and Manuel Gonzalez.
In the battle of Tecoac they defeated the 4 thousand soldiers of Lerdo de Tejada, pushing him and several of his ministers into exile, and opening the way for Porfirio Diaz to enter victorious on May 5, 1877, to Mexico City.
This revolution, also known as the last great armed conflict of nineteenth-century Mexico, ended with the defeat of José María Iglesias, who never acknowledged the Plan de Tuxtepec.
Characters of the Tuxtepec revolution
Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada
He was the President of the Supreme Court when Benito Juarez died so he immediately became the interim president and then was elected as president by Congress. He declared the Reform Laws as part of the Mexican Constitution.
Porfirio Diaz
He was an officer and participated in the defense of Mexico during the French intervention. He was the leader of the insurgency movement before Benito Juárez and before Sebastián Lerdo.
After his victory with the Tuxtepec Plan, he was the leader of a dictatorship that lasted 35 years.
General Donato Guerra
Leader of the Mexican army that participated in the War of Reformation and in the French intervention. He supported Porfirio Diaz with the plans of Noria and Tuxtepec.
José María Iglesias
He was president of the Supreme Court during the presidency of Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada.
Porfiriato
Porfirio Diaz assumed power after winning the elections of February 12, 1877.
Once there, he implemented the Plan of Tuxtepec, promoting in 1878 two reforms to the Constitution: eliminated the function of vice president of the president of the Supreme Court of Justice and prohibited re-election.
Thus began his presidential term that soon became a dictatorship that lasted 35 years, between 1884 and 1911, until its overthrow by Francisco Madero during the Mexican Revolution under the same motto of: Effective Suffrage, no re-election.
References
- Academyc (s / f). Mexico history. Retrieved from: partners.academic.ru.
- The Mexican history (s / f). Revolution of Tuxtepec. Retrieved from: lahistoriamexicana.mx.
- Nava, Melvin (2016). Revolution of Tuxtepec. Recovered from: historia.com.
- Travel by Mexico (2011). Revolution of Tuxtepec. Retrieved from: mr.travelbymexico.com.