The Torreón massacre ( es, Matanza de chinos de Torreón) was a
racially motivated massacre
A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...
that took place on 13–15 May 1911 in the
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 ...
city of
Torreón
Torreón () is a city and seat of Torreón Municipality in the Mexican state of Coahuila. As of 2021, the city's population was 735,340. The metropolitan population as of 2015 was 1,497,734, making it the ninth-biggest metropolitan area in the ...
,
Coahuila
Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico.
Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...
. Over 300
Asian Mexicans
, image =
, image_caption =
, popplace = Baja California, Bajío Region, Guerrero, Mexico City, Yucatan
, langs = Mexican Spanish and Asian languages
, rels = Christianity (mainly Catholicism), ...
were killed by a local mob and the revolutionary forces of
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 ...
, mostly
Cantonese Mexicans and some
Japanese Mexican
Japanese Mexicans are Mexicans of Japanese ancestry. As of 2019, there are an estimated 76,000 people who are Japanese or of Japanese descent in Mexico.
Japanese immigration to Mexico began in the late 19th century, to found coffee growing plant ...
s. A large number of Cantonese homes and shops were looted and destroyed.
Torreón was the last major city to be taken by the
Maderistas during 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 ...
. When the government forces withdrew, the rebels entered the city in the early morning and, along with the local population, began a ten-hour massacre of the Cantonese community. The event touched off a diplomatic crisis between
Qing China
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu people, Manchu-led Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin (1616–1636), La ...
and Mexico, with the former demanding 30 million
pesos
The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the same sign, "$", as many currencies named "dollar" ...
in reparation. At one point it was rumored that Qing China had even dispatched a warship to Mexican waters (the cruiser ''
Hai Chi'', which was anchored in
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
at the time). An investigation into the massacre concluded that it was an unprovoked act of racism.
Background
Cantonese immigration to Mexico began as early as the 17th century, with a number settling in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, most of whom originated from
Taishan, Guangdong
Taishan (), alternately romanized in Cantonese as Toishan or Toisan, in local dialect as Hoisan, and formerly known as Xinning or Sunning (), is a county-level city in the southwest of Guangdong province, China. It is administered as part o ...
,
Qing China
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu people, Manchu-led Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin (1616–1636), La ...
. Immigration increased when Mexican president
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 ...
attempted to encourage foreign investment and tourism to boost the country's economy. The two countries signed a
Treaty of Amity and Commerce in 1899;
[Schwartz (1998) p. 59][Jacques (1974) p. 234] over time, the Cantonese expatriates began to establish profitable businesses such as wholesale and retail groceries. By 1910, there were 13,200 Chinese immigrants in the country, many living in
Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
,
Chihuahua,
Coahuila
Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico.
Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...
,
Sinaloa
Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...
,
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
, and
Yucatán
Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the political divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. I ...
.
Torreón
Torreón () is a city and seat of Torreón Municipality in the Mexican state of Coahuila. As of 2021, the city's population was 735,340. The metropolitan population as of 2015 was 1,497,734, making it the ninth-biggest metropolitan area in the ...
was an attractive destination for immigrants at the turn of the nineteenth century. It was located at the intersection of two major railroads (the
Mexican Central Railway
The Mexican Central Railway (''Ferrocarril Central Mexicano'') was one of the primary pre-nationalization railways of Mexico. Incorporated in Massachusetts in 1880, it opened the main line in March 1884, linking Mexico City to Ciudad Juárez, ac ...
and the
Mexican International Railroad
The Mexican International Railroad (''Ferrocarril Internacional Mexicano'') was one of the primary pre-nationalization railways of Mexico. Incorporated in Connecticut in 1882 in the interests of the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), it opened a main ...
) and was proximate to the
Nazas River
The Nazas River is a river located in northern Mexico, in the states of Coahuila and Durango. It is part of the endorheic Bolsón de Mapimí. It is only long, but irrigates an area of in the middle of the desert. The Nazas is also nurtured by t ...
, which irrigated the surrounding area, making it a suitable location for growing
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
.
[Lai & Chee-Beng (2010) p. 83] The Cantonese probably began to arrive in Torreón during the 1880s or 1890s, at the same time that other immigrants were first recorded as coming to the city.
[Lai & Chee-Beng (2010) p. 85] By about 1900, 500 of the city's 14,000 residents were Chinese. The Chinese community was easily the largest and most notable group of immigrants in the city.
[Lai & Chee-Beng (2010) p. 84] By 1903, it had formed the largest branch of the
Baohuanghui (Protect the Emperor Society) in Mexico.
[Schwartz (1998) p. 57]
On October 17, 1903, President
Porfirio Diaz Porfirio is a given name in Spanish, derived from the Greek Porphyry (''porphyrios'' "purple-clad").
It can refer to:
* Porfirio Salinas – Mexican-American artist
* Porfirio Armando Betancourt – Honduran football player
* Porfirio Barba-Jac ...
set up a commission to look at the impact of Chinese immigration to Mexico. The final 121-page report—published in 1911, written by José María Romero—established that Chinese immigration, whether at an individual or group level, was not to the greater benefit of Mexico.
![Portrait of Kang Youwei](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Portrait_of_Kang_Youwei.jpg)
Mexico was one of the countries visited by
Kang Youwei
Kang Youwei (; Cantonese: ''Hōng Yáuh-wàih''; 19March 185831March 1927) was a prominent political thinker and reformer in China of the late Qing dynasty. His increasing closeness to and influence over the young Guangxu Emperor spar ...
after his failed
Hundred Days' Reform
The Hundred Days' Reform or Wuxu Reform () was a failed 103-day national, cultural, political, and educational reform movement that occurred from 11 June to 22 September 1898 during the late Qing dynasty. It was undertaken by the young Guangxu E ...
in
Qing China
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu people, Manchu-led Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin (1616–1636), La ...
. He had recently founded the
China Reform Association to restore the
Guangxu Emperor
The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, wi ...
to power, and was visiting Chinatowns worldwide to fund the Association.
[Jacques (1974) pp. 234—236] He arrived in 1906, and purchased a few blocks of real estate in Torreón for 1,700
pesos
The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the same sign, "$", as many currencies named "dollar" ...
,
[Lai & Chee-Beng (2010) p. 86] later reselling it to Cantonese immigrants for a profit of 3,400 pesos.
This investment spurred Kang to have the Association establish a bank in Torreón, which began selling stock and real estate to Cantonese businessmen. The bank also built the city's first
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
line.
Kang visited Torreón again in 1907.
It has been suggested that the city served as a test case for Cantonese immigration to Mexico and
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, which Kang believed might solve
overpopulation
Overpopulation or overabundance is a phenomenon in which a species' population becomes larger than the carrying capacity of its environment. This may be caused by increased birth rates, lowered mortality rates, reduced predation or large scale m ...
problems in the
Pearl River Delta
The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region (PRD; ; pt, Delta do Rio das Pérolas (DRP)) is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary, where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. Referred to as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Mac ...
, Guangdong.
[Schwartz (1998) p. 60] Soon there were 600 Chinese living in the city.
[Jacques (1974) p. 236]
In 1907, a number of Mexican businessman gathered to form a chamber of commerce to protect their businesses from the foreigners. Instead of targeting Chinese specifically, they wrote:
Tensions and resentment of the Chinese ran high among the Mexican populace of Torreón, stemming from the immigrants' prosperity and monopoly over the grocery trade.
[Jacques (1974) pp. 236–237] Nationwide resentment of the Chinese has also, conversely, been attributed to the fact that the Chinese represented a source of cheap-labor which was central to the Porfirian economic program. Therefore, opposing the Chinese was an indirect way to oppose the dictatorship.
Anti-Chinese sentiments were apparent in the
Independence Day
An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...
speeches and demonstrations of 16 September 1910. Over the next several weeks a number of Chinese establishments were vandalized.
[Romero (2010) p. 149]
Events
Events leading to the massacre
On 5 May 1911 (
Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo ( in Mexico, Spanish for "Fifth of May") is a yearly celebration held on May 5, which commemorates the anniversary of Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoz ...
), a revolutionary leader,
a
bricklayer
A bricklayer, which is related to but different from a mason, is a craftsman and tradesman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The terms also refer to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry. ...
[Lai & Chee-Beng (2010) p. 87] or
stonemason
Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...
[Young (2014) p. 201] named Jesús C. Flores, made a public speech in nearby
Gómez Palacio, Durango
Gómez Palacio is a city and its surrounding municipality in northeastern Durango, Mexico, adjacent to the border of the state of Coahuila. The city is named in honor of former Durango governor, Francisco Gómez Palacio y Bravo.
As of 2010, the ...
, in which he claimed that the Chinese were putting Mexican women out of jobs, had monopolized the gardening and grocery businesses, were accumulating vast amounts of money to send back to China, and were "vying for the affection and companionship of local women." He concluded by demanding that all people of Chinese origin be expelled from Mexico.
[Jacques (1974) p. 237] One witness recalled him stating "that, therefore, it was necessary... even a patriotic duty, to finish with them."
[Romero (2010) p. 150]
The branch of the reform association in Torreón heard of Flores' speech, and on 12 May the society's secretary, Woo Lam Po (also the manager of the bank) circulated a letter in
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
among the leaders of the community warning that there could be violence:
Siege of Torreón
![Maderistas entering Torreón on 13-5-1911](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Maderistas_entering_Torre%C3%B3n_on_13-5-1911.jpg)
On the morning of Saturday, 13 May, the forces of 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 ...
led by
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 ...
's brother
Emilio Madero
General Emilio Madero González (8 August 1880 – 16 January 1962) was a Mexican soldier who participated in the Mexican Revolution, and the brother of Francisco I. Madero.
Biography
Early life
Emilio Madero was born in Parras, Coahuila, on ...
attacked the city.
[Jaques (1974) p. 238][Romero (2010) pp. 150–151] Its railroads made it a key strategic point necessary to seizing complete control of the surrounding region:
[Jacques (1974) p. 233] it was also the last major city to be targeted by the rebels.
[Lai & Chee-Beng (2010) p. 82] Madero and 4,500
Maderistas surrounded the city, hemming in General and his 670
Federales
''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 political system. The term gained widespread usage by En ...
.
[Romero (2010) p. 151] They overran the Chinese gardens surrounding the city, killing 112 of the people working there.
[Lai & Chee-Beng (2010) p. 88] Chinese houses were used as fortifications for the advancing rebels, and the people living there were forced to prepare them food.
The fighting continued until the Federales began to run low on
munitions
Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...
on Sunday evening. Lojero ordered a retreat, and his forces abandoned the city under cover of darkness between two and four in the morning on Monday, 15 May, during a heavy rainstorm.
[Knight (1986) p. 207] The retreat was so sudden that some troops were left behind during the evacuation.
Before the rebels entered the city, witnesses reported that xenophobic speeches had been made to incense the accompanying mob against foreigners.
[Delgado (2012) p. 105] Jesús Flores was present, and made a speech calling the Chinese "dangerous competitors" and concluded "that it would be best to exterminate them."
Massacre
The rebel forces entered the city at six o'clock, accompanied by a mob of over 4,000 men, women, and children from
Gómez Palacio Municipality
Gómez Palacio is one of the 39 municipalities of Durango, in north-western Mexico. The municipal seat lies at Gómez Palacio. The municipality covers an area of 990.2 km².
In 2010, the municipality had a total population of 327,985, up fro ...
,
Viesca Municipality
Viesca is one of the 38 municipalities of Coahuila, in north-eastern 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 St ...
,
San Pedro Municipality,
Lerdo Municipality, and
Matamoros Municipality.
They were joined by citizens of Torreón and began the sacking of the
business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
. The mob released prisoners from jail, looted stores, and attacked people on the street. They soon moved to the
Chinese district
The term ''district'', in the context of China, is used to refer to several unrelated political divisions in both ancient and modern China.
In the modern context, district (), formally city-governed district, city-controlled district, or mu ...
. Men on horses drove Chinese from the gardens back into town, dragging them by their
queues and shooting or trampling those who fell. Men, women, and children were killed indiscriminately when they fell in the way of the mob, and their bodies were robbed and mutilated.
It was reported that "
one instance the head of a Chinaman was severed from his body and thrown from the window into the street. In another instance a soldier took a little boy by the heels and battered his brains out against a lamp post. In many instances ropes were tied to the bodies of the Chinamen and they were dragged through the streets by men on horseback. In another instance a Chinaman was pulled to pieces in the street by horses hitched to his arms and legs."
[Romero (2010) p. 152] The mob finally reached the bank, where they killed the employees and hurled their severed body parts into the streets.
[Jacques (1974) p. 239] A contemporary newspaper reported that "heads of the murdered Chinese were rolled along the streets, and their bodies were tied to the tails of horses."
A number of residents made attempts to save the Chinese from the mob.
[Jacques (1974) p. 240] Seventy immigrants were saved by a tailor who stood atop the roof of a building where they were hiding and misdirected the mob that was hunting for them. Eleven were saved by Hermina Almaráz, the daughter of a Maderista leader, who told soldiers who wanted to take them from her home "that they could only enter the house over her dead body." Another eight were saved by a second tailor, who stood in the rain in front of the laundry they worked at and lied to the rebels about their presence.
[Romero (2010) pp. 153–154]
Ten hours after the massacre had begun, at around four o'clock, Emilio Madero arrived in Torreón on horseback and issued a proclamation decreeing the death penalty for anyone who killed a Chinese. This ended the massacre.
After the massacre
Madero collected the surviving Chinese in a building and posted a hand-picked group of soldiers to protect them.
Dead Mexicans were buried in the city's cemetery, but the bodies of the slain Chinese were stripped naked and
buried together in a trench.
The same day as the massacre, Madero convened a
military tribunal
Military justice (also military law) is the legal system (bodies of law and procedure) that governs the conduct of the active-duty personnel of the armed forces of a country. In some nation-states, civil law and military law are distinct bodie ...
to hear testimony about the killings. The tribunal came to the conclusion that the Maderistas had "committed atrocities", but the soldiers defended themselves by asserting that the Chinese had been armed and the massacre was an act of self-defense.
[Jacques (1974) p. 241]
Both the United States Consulate and the local Relief Committee began collecting donations from locals to support the Chinese. Between 17 May and 1 June, Dr. J. Lim and the Relief Committee collected more than $6,000, which they distributed at a rate of $30 per day to provide food and shelter for the survivors.
Aftermath
Events following the massacre
After the massacre, large numbers of Chinese fled Torreón, with ''El Imparcial'', a daily newspaper in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, reporting that over 1,000 people were on the move. Chinese began to arrive in
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
seeking passage back to China.
Property stolen from Torreón continued to appear on the black market in
San Pedro for several months following the massacre and looting.
[Knight (1986) p. 208]
Casualties
![Aftermath of the Torreón massacre](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Aftermath_of_the_Torre%C3%B3n_massacre.jpg)
308 Asians were killed in the massacre; 303 Chinese and 5 Japanese.
[Delgado (2012) p. 104][Romero (2010) p. 148] According to the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
Vice
Consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...
in Gómez Palacio, the Japanese were killed "owing to the similarity of features" with the Chinese.
It is estimated that the dead made up nearly one-half of the Chinese population.
Among the dead were 50 employees of Sam Wah, both from his
estate and his restaurant; Wong Foon Chuck lost 45 employees: 32 from his estate, nine from a railroad hotel that he operated, and four from his laundry; and Ma Due lost 38 out of the 40 workers from his gardens.
[Jacques (1947) pp. 239–240] 25 employees of the bank were also killed.
Rebels, Federales, and bystanders were also killed;
according to contemporary reports, these included 25 Federales, 34 bystanders (including 12 Spaniards and a German),
and 26 Maderistas.
Among the dead was Jesús Flores,
apparently killed while attempting to free a
machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...
abandoned by the government forces.
Property damage
One estimate put the total damage at around
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
1,000,000 ().
Chinese properties were dealt US$849,928.69 ($) in damage.
Among the businesses destroyed were the bank, the Chinese Club, 40 groceries, five restaurants, four laundries, 10 vegetable stands and 23 other food stands.
Almost 100 Chinese homes and businesses were destroyed in total.
Also destroyed were a number of the Chinese-owned gardens outside of town.
In addition to businesses and commercial establishments, an unknown number of residential buildings were robbed and destroyed.
[Romero (2010) pp. 151–152] An American consular agent named G. C. Carothers described the destruction in a June 7 report on the massacre:
American,
Arabian
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...
, German, Spanish, and
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
establishments were also damaged and destroyed,
but in contrast to the Chinese, U.S. properties were only dealt US$22,000 ($ today) in damage.
Other properties destroyed included a
casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
, the city courthouse,
the jail, the police headquarters, the Inferior Court, the Court of Letters, and the Municipal Treasury.
Response
![Lebbeus Wilfley](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Lebbeus_Wilfley.jpg)
A month afterward, the Qing China hired American attorney
Lebbeus Wilfley to conduct an investigation into the massacre. Wilfley owned a
law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...
in Mexico City, and had previously served as the Judge of the
United States Court in China. In June he dispatched his partner, Arthur Bassett, to carry out the investigation.
The same month, Qing China demanded reparation from Mexico, seeking a payment 100,000 pesos (in 1911 money) for each Chinese killed during the massacre, a total of over thirty million.
Qing China also demanded an official apology from the Mexican government.
![HaiChi 2162931587 c96191a231 o](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/HaiChi_2162931587_c96191a231_o.jpg)
This was followed by a diplomatic crisis, when a rumor began to circulate that Qing China had dispatched a warship carrying investigators to Mexican waters.
[Jacques (1974) pp. 243–244] The
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 ...
, sent a
telegram
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
to
Philander C. Knox
Philander Chase Knox (May 6, 1853October 12, 1921) was an American lawyer, bank director and politician. A member of the Republican Party, Knox served in the Cabinet of three different presidents and represented Pennsylvania in the United States ...
, the
Secretary of State, claiming that the Chinese
gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.
History Pre-steam ...
''Korea'' was en route for Mexico.
Yuan Kwai, a
Counselor
Counselor or counsellor may refer to:
A professional In diplomacy and government
* Counsellor of State, senior member of the British royal family to whom the Monarch can delegate some functions in case of unavailability
* Counselor (di ...
at the
Chinese embassy in the U.S., sought the support of the
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...
. He was told that the U.S. would not approve the act, but would not make an attempt to halt it, either. Failing to get support from the U.S., China announced that the rumor was false. Yuan Kwai stated that the
cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles.
The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...
''
Hai Chi'' might dock in Mexico after attending the
coronation
A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...
of
George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936.
Born duri ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. In the event, the ''Hai Chi'' docked in Cuba after visiting the United States and halted there while the diplomatic crisis played out, and did not go on to Mexico.
In July, U.S. consul George Carothers reported that a number of foreigners in Torreón had received letters telling them to leave the city.
[Jacques (1974) pp. 240–241]
Madero had ordered that the soldiers culpable for the killings be arrested and put on trial, and by 9 July, 20 of the 35 under suspicion of connection with the massacre had been captured.
[Jacques (1974) p. 244]
Arthur Bassett made his report to Chang Yin Tang, the Chinese Minister to Mexico, on 13 July, after conducting interviews with a number of Chinese and Mexican witnesses to the massacre. He concluded that the Maderistas' claims (that they had been fired on by the Chinese) were false, citing the 12 May circular by the reform society. He also dismissed the claim that the immigrants had been armed by General Lojero and his retreating Federales, pointing out that the reason for the evacuation was a dearth of ammunition. Furthermore, no witnesses reported any form of resistance by the Chinese. In his report, he called the incident "an unprovoked massacre... conceived in ''malice'' and ''race hatred''" and concluded that it was a clear violation of the 1899 treaty between the two countries.
[Jacques (1974) p. 242]
Bassett, in collaboration with Owang King (a representative for China) and Antonio Ramos Pedrueza (representing Mexican President
Francisco León de la Barra
Francisco León de la Barra y Quijano (June 16, 1863 – September 23, 1939) was a Mexican political figure and diplomat who served as 36th President of Mexico from May 25 to November 6, 1911. He was known to conservatives as "The White Presid ...
), tendered a second report to Chang on 28 August, once again attempting to assess whether the Chinese themselves had prompted the massacre by resisting the Madistera troops.
The editor of ''Diogenes'', a local paper, stated that Lojero had "authorized him to deny all allegations" that he may have armed the Chinese. Upon further inquiry, the owners of local stores testified that they had not sold weapons to Chinese patrons before the massacre. The report concluded:
After failing to gain support from the United States, Qing China reduced the demanded
indemnity
In contract law, an indemnity is a contractual obligation of one party (the ''indemnitor'') to compensate the loss incurred by another party (the ''indemnitee'') due to the relevant acts of the indemnitor or any other party. The duty to indemni ...
from thirty million to six million. However, it continued to demand an official apology, a guarantee of the safety of Chinese citizens in Mexico, and the punishment of the soldiers responsible for the massacre.
As the 1911 Mexican Independence Day approached, the foreign community in Torreón became restless, remembering the violence that had broken out at that time the previous year. To prevent another outbreak of violence, Francisco Madero sent 1,000 troops to the city.
Qing China was overthrown in the
Xinhai Revolution
The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of a d ...
. Its successor, the
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
(ROC) came to an agreement with Mexico in November 1912, and a treaty was signed wherein Mexico granted 3,100,000 pesos in damages to ROC and extended an official apology. The deadline for payment was later extended to 15 February 1913.
[Jacques (1974) pp. 244–245] However, after the February 1913 assassination of Francisco Madero, Mexico entered a period of
economic collapse
Economic collapse, also called economic meltdown, is any of a broad range of bad economic conditions, ranging from a severe, prolonged depression with high bankruptcy rates and high unemployment (such as the Great Depression of the 1930s), to a ...
. They proposed to pay ROC in
bonds. The
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
ambassador warned against it, believing that Mexico would be unable to obtain the foreign loans necessary for payment.
[Jacques (1974) p. 245]
The
Mexican Senate
The Senate of the Republic, ( es, Senado de la República) constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union ( es, Cámara de Senadores del H. Congreso de la Unión), is the upper house of Mexico's bicameral Congres ...
debated a number of ways to pay the indemnity through 1912 and 1913, including considering payment in
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
. However, the bonds were never approved, and reparation was never made.
In 2021, 110 years later, then-president of Mexico
López Obrador
López is a surname of Spanish origin.
It was originally a patronymic, meaning "Son of Lope", ''Lope'' itself being a Spanish given name deriving from Latin ''lupus'', meaning "wolf". Its Portuguese and Galician equivalent is '' Lopes'', its It ...
apologized for his country's role in massacre.
Further unrest
The massacre in Torreón was not the only instance of race violence against the Chinese during the revolution. In the first year alone, rebels and other Mexican citizens contributed to the deaths of some 324 Chinese. By 1919, another 129 had been killed in Mexico City, and 373 in
Piedras Negras Piedras Negras may refer to:
* Piedras Negras, Coahuila, a city in the state of Coahuila, Mexico
** Piedras Negras Municipality, a municipality in Mexico, with the center in the eponymous city
* Piedras Negras (Maya site)
Piedras Negras is the ...
.
The persecution and violence against the Chinese in Mexico finally culminated in 1931, with the expulsion of the remaining Chinese from Sonora.
See also
*
Chinese Mexican
*
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The law excluded merchants, teachers, students, travelers, and diplom ...
*
Anti-Chinese violence in Oregon
*
Anti-Chinese violence in California
Anti-Chinese violence in California includes a number of massacres, riots, expulsions and other violent actions that were directed at Chinese-American communities during the mid and late 19th century. The attacks on Chinese were often sparked by ...
*
Anti-Chinese violence in Washington
There were at least several incidents of anti-Chinese violence in Washington, a United States territory and later, a U.S. state, which occurred during the 19th, 20th and 21st century. In the 19th century, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 created ...
*
Chinese Massacre of 1871 (Los Angeles)
The Los Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871 was a racial massacre targeting Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles, California, United States that occurred on October 24, 1871. Approximately 500 white and Hispanic Americans attacked, harassed, robbed ...
*
San Francisco riot of 1877
The San Francisco riot of 1877 was a three-day pogrom waged against Chinese immigrants in San Francisco, California by the city's majority white population from the evening of July 23 through the night of July 25, 1877. The ethnic violence which sw ...
*
Rock Springs massacre, 1885
*
Attack on Squak Valley Chinese laborers, 1885
The Attack on Squak Valley Chinese laborers took place on September 7, 1885, in Squak Valley (now called Issaquah), Washington Territory, when a group of men fired their guns into several tents where a group of Chinese hop pickers were sleeping. T ...
*
Tacoma riot of 1885 The Tacoma riot of 1885, also known as the 1885 Chinese expulsion from Tacoma, involved the forceful expulsion of the Chinese population from Tacoma, Washington Territory, on November 3, 1885. City leaders had earlier proposed a November 1 deadline ...
*
Seattle riot of 1886
The Seattle riot of 1886 occurred on February 6–9, 1886, in Seattle, Washington, amidst rising anti-Chinese sentiment caused by intense labor competition and in the context of an ongoing struggle between labor and capital in the Western United S ...
*
Hells Canyon massacre, 1887
*
List of massacres in Mexico
Massacres
See also
* Human rights in Mexico
References
{{Mexican Drug War
Massacres
Mexico
*
Massacres
A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or ...
*
List of ethnic riots
This is a list of ethnic riots by country, and includes riots based on ethnic, sectarian, xenophobic, and racial conflict. Some of these riots can also be classified as pogroms.
Africa
Americas
United States
Nativist period: 1700s ...
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Mexico faces up to uneasy anniversary of Chinese massacre theguardian.com, 16 May 2021
External links
– Original documents from the time period related to the massacre.
– ''
El Siglo de Torreón
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torreon massacre
1911 disasters in North America
1911 murders in North America
Conflicts in 1911
Mass murder in 1911
May 1911 events
1911 murders in Mexico
Massacres in 1911
Chinese diaspora in Mexico
Massacres in Mexico
Massacres of ethnic groups
Anti-Chinese sentiment in North America
Anti-Chinese violence in North America
Battles of the Mexican Revolution
China–Mexico relations
History of Coahuila
Torreón
Racism in Mexico
Hate crimes