''Federales'' (singular ''Federale'' or, rarely but aligning with Spanish, ''Federal'') is a Spanglish word used in an informal context to denote security forces operating under a

federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

political system. The term gained widespread usage by English speakers due to popularization in such films as '' The Wild Bunch'', ''

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre ''The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'' (originally titled ''Der Schatz der Sierra Madre'') is a 1927 adventure novel by German author B. Traven, whose identity remains unknown. In the book, two destitute American men in Mexico of the 1920s join a ...

'', and '' Blue Streak'', and the television drama series ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...

'' and its spinoff prequel ''

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, '' Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...

''. The term is a cognate and counterpart to the slang "

Fed Fed, The Fed or FED may refer to: People * Andrey A. Fedorov (1908–1987), Soviet Russian biologist, author abbreviation * Feds, a slang term for a police officer in several countries * John Fedorowicz (born 1958), American International Grand ...

s" in the United States.

Law enforcement

The term is traditionally used for certain

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

police agencies such as: The

Mexican Federal Police The Federal Police ( es, Policía Federal, PF), formerly known as the (Federal Preventive Police) and sometimes referred to in the U.S. as "Federales", was a Mexican national police force formed in 1999 and folded into the National Guard in 2019. ...

, and any of its predecessors * Federal Preventive Police/Policía Federal Preventiva, * Federal Highway Police/Policía Federal de Caminos, and * Federal Fiscal Police/Policía Fiscal Federal. The Federal Ministerial Police/Policía Federal Ministerial (PFM) and any of its predecessors: * Federal Investigations Agency/Agencia Federal de Investigación and the * Federal Judicial Police/Policía Judicial Federal.

Military

Historically, "Federales" was also the common term used for the regular Mexican Army (or Federal Army), especially during the 34-year rule of

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 ...

until 1911. In part the expression served the purpose of distinguishing centrally controlled military units from provincial militias, or the rural mounted police ( rurales). Following Díaz's overthrow by rebel forces led by

Francisco 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 ...

, the Federal Army remained in existence. The ''Federales'' were eventually disbanded in July and August 1914, after Madero's successor Victoriano Huerta was in turn defeated by an alliance of revolutionary forces. The formal dissolution of the Federal Army was decreed by the Teoloyucan Treaties, signed on August 13.

References

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Law enforcement

Military

References

See also