Domingo Arrieta León (August 4, 1874 - November 18, 1962) was a Mexican general and statesman who fought in the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and was later elected the governor of Durango State, Mexico.

Early life

Arrieta León was born in Canelas, in the Mexican state of Durango on August 4, 1874. He was the son of Teófilo Arrieta and Soledad León. He worked as a ranchero in his youth, and earned enough to set up as an entrepreneur

muleskinner A muleskinner or mule skinner is a muleteer or mule-driver. The word may also refer to: * Muleskinner, the mascot of St. John's Military School, Kansas, U.S. * ''Muleskinner'', an alternate title for the album '' Jack Takes the Floor'' by Ramblin' ...

, transporting goods by mule around the region. Although

illiterate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

, Arrieta León was said to have an excellent memory. His extensive travels provided him with an intimate knowledge of the northwest region of Durango, particularly the

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American ...

mountain range. During this time, Arrieta León also became witness to the exploitation of miners,

day labor Day labor (or day labour in Commonwealth spelling) is work done where the worker is hired and paid one day at a time, with no promise that more work will be available in the future. It is a form of contingent work. Types Day laborers (also ...

ers, and

peasant farmers A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

by landowners in the area. The remoteness of the area made it difficult for the exploited persons to escape their situation or communicate about it.

Revolutionary beginnings

Porfirio Díaz, then the president of Mexico, was perceived as benefiting from this exploitative system, and in 1910, his opponent

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 ...

called for an armed rebellion with the publication of 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 ...

. This rebellion would escalate into the Mexican Revolution. Arrieta León and his nine brothers, including and , assembled an improvised army in order to fight in the rebellion as ''maderistas'', or supporters of Madero. On the appointed date, November 20, 1910, Arrieta León and his army, supported by the forces of Conrado Antuna and Ramon Iturbe rose up at Mesa de Guadalupe in Carnelas.

First phase of the revolution: 1910-1911

Between December 1910 and May 1911, Arrieta León and his brothers led the rebel groups in their area to seize towns and mines in Durango, culminating in the seizure of the town of

Santiago Papasquiaro Santiago Papasquiaro is a city located in a valley situated on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Occidental in the state of Durango, Mexico. As of 2010, the city of Santiago Papasquiaro had a population of 26,121, while the municipality has a ...

on March 29, 1911. In May 1911, Arrieta León's army, by then numbering around 4,000 men, took the city of Durango, the capital of the state. Shortly after, the peace treaty of Ciudad Juarez was signed, officially ending the conflict between the forces of Díaz and Madero. Arrieta León was granted the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

as a reward and returned to the mountains with his brothers.

Securing power: 1913-1917

By 1913,

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 ...

had seized power from Madero.

Venustiano Carranza José Venustiano Carranza de la Garza (; 29 December 1859 – 21 May 1920) was a Mexican wealthy land owner and politician who was Governor of Coahuila when the constitutionally elected president Francisco I. Madero was overthrown in a Februa ...

, leader of the

Constitutional Army The Constitutional Army ( es, Ejército constitucionalista; also known as the Constitutionalist Army) was the army that fought against the Federal Army, and later, against the Villistas and Zapatistas during the Mexican Revolution. It was formed ...

, proclaimed the

Plan of Guadalupe The Plan of Guadalupe ( es, Plan de Guadalupe) was a political manifesto which was proclaimed on March 26, 1913, by the Governor of Coahuila Venustiano Carranza in response to the reactionary coup d'etat and execution of President Francisco I. ...

on March 26, 1913, calling for armed opposition to Huerta. As a result, former ''maderistas'' rose up to oppose him, including Arrieta León, his brother Mariano Arrieta León, and their army. In April 1913, the Arrieta brothers' army was besieging the city of Durango, but were forced to withdraw after the arrival of the forces of Cheché Campos. Arrieta León fell back to Canatlán, and in May, he defeated the Campos forces there. After Campos' defeat, the revolutionaries were able to take the city of Durango in July 1913. Arrieta León forced civilian governor Pastor Rouiax to withdraw, declaring his forces to be the provisional government in the region. By the end of the summer of 1914, Arrieta León and his brothers commanded nearly 5,000 men and had complete control of the local government. Arrieta León supported General

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (, Orozco rebelled in March 1912, both for Madero's continuing failure to enact land reform and because he felt insufficiently rewarded for his role in bringing the new president to power. At the request of Madero's c ...

in capturing Torreon in April 1914, and later participated in the battle of Battle of Zacatecas supporting the forces of General Panfilo Natera. In September of the same year, after the breakdown between Villa and Carranza, Arrieta León remained a supporter of Carranca. In 1917, Arrieta León was elected governor of Durango, winning 7,020 votes to his opponent Miguel Laveaga's 2,454.

Retirement and death

After the death of Venustiano Carranza, Arrieta León was pardoned and retired. He died on November 18, 1962.

References

Works cited

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arrieta, Domingo 1874 births 1962 deaths Mexican generals Military personnel from Durango Mexican people of Basque descent People of the Mexican Revolution