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Benito Juárez Versus the Díaz Brothers: Politics in Oaxaca, 1867–1871

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

Frank S. Falcone
Frank S. Falcone*
Affiliation:
Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York
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Extract

On August 25, 1867, Benito Juárez was feted at a now-famous banquet attended by General Porfirio Díaz, as well as most of the leaders of the Mexican government and military. The occasion, however, was hardly festive. Throughout the banquet, Díaz remained sullen in his seat instead of offering the customary first toast. As his silence became more embarrassing, Juárez finally broke the tension by graciously rising and offering a toast to “Liberty and Independence.”

Type
Research Article
Information
The Americas , Volume 33 , Issue 4 , April 1977 , pp. 630 - 651
Copyright
Copyright © Academy of American Franciscan History 1977

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References

1 Diario oficial (August 29, 1867), 1.

2 The following account is based on reports of the banquet found in La Victoria (September 2, 1867), I; and J Iturribarría, orge F. Historia de Oaxaca, IV (Oaxaca, 1956), 17.Google Scholar

3 Iturribarría, op. cit., IV, 17; and Villegas, Daniel Cosío, Historia moderna de México, La República Restaurada. La Vida Política (Mexico, 1955), 1, 76.Google Scholar

4 Iturribarría, Historia de Oaxaca, IV, 30–31; Cosio Villegas Historia moderna de México, I, 86–87; and Knapp, Frank A.. Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada. Reprint edition. (New York, 1967),152.Google Scholar

5 Apart from Juárez and Díaz, a number of other national figures came from Oaxaca including Matías Romero, Secretary of Foreign Relations under Juárez; Ignacio Mejía and Manuel Dublán, outstanding congressional figures; and Justo Benítez, the Porfirist congressional leader.

6 Iturribarría, Historia Mexicana, III, 474.

7 lbid., III, 473.

8 Charles R. Berry, “The Reform in the Central District of Oaxaca, 1856–1867,” (Austin, University of Texas, unpublished dissertation, 1967), 75.

9 While the borlados agreed to the principle of complete freedom of religious practice, they were not willing to pursue it vigorously.

10 Berry, “The Reform in the Central District of Oaxaca,” 144–145.

11 Oaxaca, . Colección de leyes, decretos, etc, IV (Oaxaca, 1879), 184.Google Scholar

12 Berry, “The Reform in the Central District of Oaxaca,” 31.

13 The chief biographical highlights of his life were outlined in a special supplement in El Siglo XIX, (January 29, 1869).

14 Jorge F. Iturribarria contends that Félix was always a member of the more radical faction of the liberals, but his early career indicates that Feliz’ radicalism was initially motivated by political considerations.

15 La Victoria (December 6, 1867), 3.

16 La Victoria (April 21, 1867), 2.

17 lbid., (May 9, 1867), 1.

18 Berry, “The Reform in the Central District of Oaxaca,” 321.

19 Oaxaca. Colección de leyes. IV, 202.

20 Iturribarría. Historia Mexicana, III, 475.

21 La Victoria (August 30, 1867), 1. Compare this to reports in El Siglo XIX (August 25, 1867), 3. El Siglo reprinted a protest against the convocatoria from Puebla: “The Club ‘Amigo del Puebla’ protests against the decree of August 14 … Because it is against the expressed will of the Mexican people….

22 Manuel Toro was appointed Treasurer of the State by Governor Díaz; Luis Pérez Castro, editor of La Victoria; Francisco Mira, Treasurer after Toro was removed; Juan Figueroa, as Chief Auditor of the State; Pedro Toro, General Administrator of Alcabalas.

23 Centro de Estudios de Historia de Mexico [hereafter CEHM]. Porfirio Díaz and José Justo Benítez, an open letter (September 11, 1867). Doc. no. 88.

24 CEHM. Doc. no. 89. Porfirio Díaz to José F. Valverde (September 17, 1867).

25 lbid., Doc. no. 91–93. (September 23, 1867); (September 25, 1867); (September 25, 1867).

26 Archivo Díaz. V, 120–121. José F. Valverde to Porfirio Díaz (October 2, 1867).

27 Mata de Vasquez had been Porfirio Díaz’ chief campaign coordinator in Oaxaca.

28 CEHM. Porfirio Díaz to Feliz Díaz (October 30, 1867).

29 Archivo de Benito Juárez [hereafter ABJJ. Ms. J. 15–2443. Miguel Castro to Benito Juárez (September 25, 1867).

30 ABJ. Ms. J. 15–2443. Miguel Castro to Juárez (September 25, 1867).

31 CEHM. Doc. no. 95. Porfirio Díaz to Lie. Pablo Pantoja. (October 3, 1867).

32 lbid., Doc. No. 98. Porfirio Díaz to José F. Valverde (October 11, 1867), See also Doc. no. 100. Porfirio Díaz to Valverde (October 21, 1867).

33 Coleccion de Porfirio Díaz [thereafter CPD] No. 897. Letter to Porfirio Díaz (October 29, 1867).

34 lbid., No. 900. Fidencio Hernández to Porfirio Díaz (November 2, 1867).

35 lbid., Doc. no. 897. Letter to Porfirio Díaz (October 29, 1867).

36 lbid., Doc. no. 106 Porfirio Díaz to Valverde (November 1, 1867).

37 CPD. Patricio Leon to Porfirio Díaz (October 16, 1867).

38 Archivo Díaz. V, 76–77. José F. Valverde to Porfirio Díaz (September 25, 1867).

39 lbid., V, 268–369. Juan N. Mendéz to Porfirio Díaz (October 25, 1867).

40 CPD. Genaro Olguín to Porfirio Díaz (November 6, 1867).

41 CPD. Aparicio Cruz to Porfirio Díaz (November 9, 1867).

42 ABJ. Ms.J. 15–2451. Miguel Castro to Benito Juárez (October 23, 1867). Bernardo Carbajel also urged Juárez to remove unsympathetic federal employees within the Administration of stamped Paper. lbid. Ms.J. 15–2399. Bernardo Carbajel to Benito Juárez (October 30, 1867).

43 Based on incomplete statistics reported in La Victoria and Diario oficial. Statistics on the selection of electors in the individual districts do not exist.

44 Archivo Díaz. V, 73–75. Exact election figures are not available for either the primary or the secondary elections, which were held on October 6. The state officially announced that Juárez obtained a majority of electoral votes on October 19, 1867. La Victoria (October 12, 1867), 4. From reports to Díaz in Archivo Díaz, and from La Victoria and Diario oficial it is possible to determine that the districts Teotilán de Camino, Huajuápam, Teposcolula, Villa-alta, Centro, Zimatlán, and Etla voted for Díaz for President; while the districts of Tehuantepec, Miahuatlán, Tlacolula, Ocotlán and Villa-Juárez voted for Juárez for President.

These results are available in La Victoria, (October 12, 1867) and (October 19, 1867), and in Archivo Díaz, 103–104, 152, 167–168, 182–184 and 218–219; as well as partial reports in Diario oficial (October 15 to November 10, 1867).

While Díaz failed to carry his home state, his campaign succeeded in marshalling public opinion against the constitutional changes proposed in the convocatoria of August. The state, in a direct vote during the primary elections, voted down the proposed constitutional changes, 86, 852 to 23, 462. See La Victoria (December 13, 1867), 3.

45 CPD. Francisco Rincón to Porfirio Díaz (November 9, 1867).

46 See Appendix I.

47 The split between the Díaz brothers was still not healed at this time, as indicated by Porfirio’s comment to Valverde on November 8: “You are instructed to convince Félix that he has interpreted his instructions incorrectly, and that he should not abandon the body to the enemies.” CEHM. Doc. no. 108. Porfirio Díaz to José F. Valverde (November 8, 1867).

48 CPD. No. 853. Miguel Castro to Porfirio Díaz (November 18, 1867); and CPD. No. 856. José F. Valverde to Porfirio Díaz (November 13, 1867). The deputies elected were:

Centro: Francisco Rincón (felixista)
Zimatlán: José M. Toro (felixista)
Atitlán: Luis Pompa (felixista)
Teotitlán: Valeriano Regules (felixista)
Tlaxiaco: Feliciano García (felixista)
Teposcolula: Matías Rozas (felixista)
Huajuápam: José Pardo (felixista)
Miahuatlán: Mariano Jiménez (felixista)
Etla: Juan Escobar (juárista)
Ixtlán: Joaquín Mauleon (juárista)
Tehuantepec: Agustín Canseco (juárista)
Tlacolula: Sebastian Luengas (porfirista)
Silacayoapam: José Segura y Gúzman (porfirista)
Ocotlán: Manuel Rojas y Silva (porfirista)

49 La Victoria (December 6, 1867), 3–4.

50 lbid., (December 20, 1867), 3.

51 Archivo Díaz. V, 386–387. Miguel Castro to Porfirio Díaz (December 7, 1867).

52 lbid., V, 381.

53 Oaxaca, . Colección de leyes. V, 357–358.Google Scholar

54 La Victoria (December 13, 1867), 4: The personal affiliations listed is based upon their correspondence and subsequent relation with the major figures.

55 Archivo Díaz. V, 34–35. Porfirio Díaz to José F. Valverde (September 11, 1867).

56 La Victoria (April 9, 1868),4.

57 ABJ. Ms.J. 22–3688. Pablo Pantoja to Benito Juárez (August 7, 1868).

58 La Victoria (June 4, 1868),4.

59 lbid., (November 16, 1868),4.

60 El Siglo XIX (December 29, 1868), 3.

61 El Siglo XIX (February 3, 1869), 3.

62 lbid., (February 10, 1869),4.

63 La Victoria (November 9, 1869), 4. Manuel Rojas y Silva was a Porfirist alternate deputy who replaced Martín González in 1868. The other deputies elected were: José María Toro, Sebastian Luengas, Luis Pompo, Ramón Ruiz, and Juan Escobar.

64 National Archives Microfilm Publications. Dispatches from United States Consuls in Oaxaca, 1869–1878. (Washington, 1964). Dispatch sent January, 1872.

65 La Victoria (November 6, 1869), 4.

66 Archivo Díaz. VIII, 26.

67 Scholes. Mexican Politics During the Juárez Regime, 135.

68 Archivo Díaz. IX, 86 87; CPD. B. Jiménez to P. Díaz (November 15, 1868).

69 CPD. José Montesinos to Porfirio Díaz (April 21, 1871); CEHM. Doc. no. 3128 (May 5, 1871).

70 Emilio Velasco, editor of El Siglo XIX, wrote on July 14: “Notices received confirm the abuses of authority and the incidents of violence without number committed by the federal executive and his agents … The use of armed forces and a cynical corruption have been … employed by the Juárists.”

71 Diario oficial (November 27, 1871), 2–3.

72 CPD. No. 1790 Letter from Acatlán to Porfirio Díaz (July 18, 1873).

73 Reported in El Mensajero (July 3, 1871), 3. Unfortunately, Mexico City’s newspapers are the only available sources for the electoral information, and they carried only incomplete statistics.

74 El Sigh XIX (July 3, 1871), 3.

75 They were Lie. José D. Iturribarría, Juan Fenochio, Lic. Nicolas Caballero, Manuel S. Pardo, José M. Irigoyen, Antonio Ramos, Apolinar Castillo, Feliciano García, Albino Zertuche, Gabriel Serranto, Francisco Cerranza, Lic. Sebastian Luengas, Lic. Ignacio Muñoz, Loe. José M. Pardo, Lic. José M.. Ballesteros, and Mariano Jiménez.

76 El Mensajero (July 28-August 28, 1871). Compiled from statistics as they were reported. The voting in the Oaxacan electoral college, by district, was as follows:

77 Knapp. Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada, 156–157.

78 Diario oficial (November 14, 1871), 2–3.

79 Oaxaca, Leyes, decretos, V, 437–438.

80 Diario oficial (November 27, 1871), 2–3.

81 Diano oficial (November 17, 1871), 3. Diario also reported that the state capital was “an armed camp, and that the people were subjected to all kinds of exactions.”

82 The rebel forces printed their own newspaper, Insurrección, in which the declarations against Castro and Romero were published.

83 Oaxaca. gobernador. Memoria (1873), 2–3.

84 National Archives. Dispatches from U. S. Consuls in Oaxaca, n.p. Diario oficial also reported that Díaz had confiscated all federal tax money, and withheld it for his own use. Diario oficial (November 20, 1871), 3.

85 Diario oficial (December 10, 1871), 2.

86 La Victoria (November 12–29, 1867). Note that in the districts of Tuxtepec, Villaalta, Villa-Juárez, Choapam and Yautepec, Castro did extremely well, while Félix Díaz, running against the incumbent won 76% of the total vote. On first glance, these figures indicates a free election. However, the fact that 19 districts reported majorities of 90% or more indicates controlled balloting.