Revolution Day is an official Mexican government holiday, celebrated annually in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
on November 20, marking the start of what became the
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...
.
History
The Mexican Revolution brought the overthrow of liberal Army general
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori ( or ; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915), known as Porfirio Díaz, was a Mexican general and politician who served seven terms as President of Mexico, a total of 31 years, from 28 November 1876 to 6 Decem ...
after 35 years as president of Mexico (1876-1911). In the 1910 presidential election, wealthy landowner
Francisco I. Madero
Francisco Ignacio Madero González (; 30 October 1873 – 22 February 1913) was a Mexican businessman, revolutionary, writer and statesman, who became the 37th president of Mexico from 1911 until he was deposed in a coup d'etat in February 1 ...
opposed Díaz. Díaz jailed Madero, who then escaped, issuing the
Plan of San Luis Potosí
230px, Francisco I. Madero, future President of Mexico
The Plan of San Luis de Potosí () is a key political document of the Mexican Revolution, written by Mexican presidential candidate Francisco I. Madero, following his escape from jail. He ...
on October 6, 1910. In that plan, Madero declared the results of the 1910 election fraudulent, nullified them, asserted that he was provisional president, and called for Mexicans to rise up against Díaz on November 20, 1910.
[Stuart F. Voss, "Plan of San Luis Potosí". ''Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture'' vol. 4, p. 421. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons 1996.] He wrote "Throw the usurpers from power, recover your rights as free men, and remember that our ancestors left us a heritage of glory which we are not able to stain. Be as they were: invincible in war, magnanimous in victory."
The commemoration is celebrated in Mexico as an official holiday.
Until 2006 and again from 2009 to 2013 the national celebrations were located at the
Zocalo in Mexico City. Given the recent political and national tragedies that happened in 2014 the parades were called off at the aftermath of the
2014 Iguala mass kidnapping
On September 26, 2014, forty-three male students disappeared from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College after being forcibly abducted in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico. They were allegedly taken into custody by local police officers from Iguala and ...
, (this was the case also in 2015), and the celebrations happened in the Campo Marte in the capital, thus pushing the national parade up to November 23, Navy Day, with only Mexican Navy personnel in attendance. Thus the national November 20 parades, during the remaining years of the
Enrique Peña Nieto
Enrique Peña Nieto (; born 20 July 1966), commonly referred to by his initials EPN, is a Mexican politician who served as the 64th president of Mexico from 1 December 2012 to 30 November 2018. A member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party ...
presidency, had now been replaced by state level ones, which have been held in major cities all over the nation as per tradition, but in a reduced basis, given recent cancellations due to protest actions on the said date in several state capitals. During the presidency of
Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican politician who has been serving as the 65th president of Mexico since 1 December 2018. He previously served as Head of Government of Mexico ...
, the traditional civil-military-athletic parade was finally reinstated in 2019.
The first crucial revolution during the 20th century was the Mexican Revolution.
[Green, Susan Marie. "Mexican Revolution." ''Multicultural America'': ''A Multimedia Encyclopedia'', edited by Carlos E. Cortés and Jane E. Sloan, vol. 3, SAGE Reference, 2014, pp. 1453-1455. ''Gale eBooks'', https://link-gale-com.butte.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/CX3718500587/GPS?u=orov49112&sid=GPS&xid=9d559bec. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019.] The Mexican Revolution drove many Mexicans to migrate to America. This greatly affected many Mexican Americans as well as the United States.
Around 1 million legal migrants entered the United States throughout the revolution along with many other undocumented migrants.
This occurred four years before the introduction of a patrol between the borders.
The constitution created in 1917, in response to the revolution, established limits on the period of time politicians could be in power.
["Mexican Revolution." ''Worldmark Modern Conflict and Diplomacy'', edited by Elizabeth P. Manar, vol. 2: Japanese Invasion of China to Yugoslav Wars, Gale, 2014, pp. 376-381. ''Gale eBooks'', https://link-gale-com.butte.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/CX3784400067/GPS?u=orov49112&sid=GPS&xid=d39922ad. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019.] The Constitution also included labor reform laws that covered 8 hour workdays, abolished child labor, and established equal pay.
Date
Article 74 of the Mexican labor law (''Ley Federal del Trabajo'') provides that the third Monday of November (regardless the date) will be the official Day of the Revolution holiday in Mexico. This was a modification of the law made in 2005, effective since 2006; before then, it was November 20 regardless of the day, and all schools gave extended holidays if the day was a Tuesday or Thursday.
See also
*
Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata Salazar (; August 8, 1879 – April 10, 1919) was a Mexican revolutionary. He was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920, the main leader of the people's revolution in the Mexican state of Morelos, and the ins ...
*
Francisco I. Madero
Francisco Ignacio Madero González (; 30 October 1873 – 22 February 1913) was a Mexican businessman, revolutionary, writer and statesman, who became the 37th president of Mexico from 1911 until he was deposed in a coup d'etat in February 1 ...
*
Ricardo Flores Magón
Cipriano Ricardo Flores Magón (, known as Ricardo Flores Magón; September 16, 1874 – November 21, 1922) was a noted Mexican anarchist and social reform activist. His brothers Enrique and Jesús were also active in politics. Followers of ...
*
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...
*
Plan of San Luis Potosí
230px, Francisco I. Madero, future President of Mexico
The Plan of San Luis de Potosí () is a key political document of the Mexican Revolution, written by Mexican presidential candidate Francisco I. Madero, following his escape from jail. He ...
*
Revolution Day Revolution Day or the Day of the Revolution refers to public holidays or remembrance days in various country held in commemoration of an important event in the country's history, usually the starting point or a turning point in a revolution that led ...
— in other countries.
References
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Public holidays in Mexico
Fiestas Patrias (Mexico)
Mexican Revolution
1910 in Mexico
Recurring events established in 1910
November observances
Festivals established in 1910
Autumn events in Mexico