The Pact of the Embassy , also known as the Pact of the Ciudadela, is a February 19, 1913 agreement brokered by U.S. Ambassador to Mexico

Henry Lane Wilson Henry Lane Wilson (November 3, 1857 – December 22, 1932) was an American attorney who was appointed by President William Howard Taft to the post of United States Ambassador to Mexico in 1910. He brought together opponents of Mexico's democra ...

during the coup to oust democratically-elected Mexican President

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 ...

. Wilson had been opposed to Madero's government from its beginning and had done everything he could to undermine it. In a period of the Mexican Revolution known as the

Ten Tragic Days The Ten Tragic Days ( es, La Decena Trágica) during the Mexican Revolution is the name now given to a multi-day coup d'etat in Mexico City by opponents of Francisco I. Madero, the democratically elected president of Mexico, between 9 - 19 Fe ...

("Decena Trágica") forces opposed to Madero had bombarded the center of Mexico City with artillery fire, with the loss of civilian life and destruction of buildings. Madero's main military man General

Victoriano Huerta José Victoriano Huerta Márquez (; 22 December 1854 – 13 January 1916) was a general in the Mexican Federal Army and 39th President of Mexico, who came to power by coup against the democratically elected government of Francisco I. Madero wit ...

put up a desultory effort to combat the rebels, which some see as a "phony war". Ambassador Wilson brought together the two rival generals whose forces were responsible for the destruction, Huerta, head of the Mexican

Federal Army The Mexican Federal Army ( es, Ejército Federal), also known as the Federales in popular culture, was the military of Mexico from 1876 to 1914 during the Porfiriato, the long rule of President Porfirio Díaz, and during the presidencies of Franci ...

, in whom Madero had misplaced his trust, and General Félix Díaz, nephew of Mexican ex-President Porfirio Díaz. Wilson's aim was to broker an agreement to end the bloody violence, which a number of historians see as the pretext for the ouster of Madero. Huerta changed his allegiance, now also plotting to oust Madero. The terms of the pact were that Díaz recognize Huerta as provisional president of Mexico, with Huerta allowing Díaz to name Huerta's cabinet, presumably with his own supporters. They further agreed that rather than holding quick elections, they would be delayed and that Huerta would support Díaz's candidacy. The agreement was concluded while Madero remained President of Mexico, but the U.S. Ambassador's actions strongly influenced Madero's decision to resign. According to Ambassador Wilson's memoirs, he took the action on his own account without consultation, seeing the U.S. embassy as being neutral ground for the rival generals. The signed agreement with the backing of the U.S. Ambassador persuaded President Madero and Vice President

José María Pino Suárez José María Pino Suárez (; September 8, 1869 – February 22, 1913) was a Mexican statesman, lawyer, writer and newspaper proprietor who was a key figure of the Mexican Revolution and served as the 7th and last Vice President of Mexico fro ...

to resign. They were arrested and they had the expectation of going into exile, as ex-President Porfirio Díaz had done in May 1911. But the two men were murdered during their transfer from the National Palace to Lecumberri National Penitentiary. Once in power, Huerta reneged on his agreement with Díaz for power-sharing and elections. Díaz went into exile. The elections promised in the pact never occurred.Henderson, Peter V.N. "Félix Díaz". ''

Encyclopedia of Mexico The ''Encyclopedia of Mexico'' is a two-volume reference work in English, focusing on the history and culture of Mexico. There are over 500 signed articles are by more than 300 scholars. There are overview articles on large topics; shorter article ...

'', 405.

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