The Mexican Revolution

Today is November 20 and the celebration of "The Mexican Revolution" of 1910. The day is marked with parades and civic ceremonies throughout the country. There is a large parade in Mexico City's Zocalo, as well as speeches and official ceremonies. In cities and towns throughout Mexico schoolchildren dressed as revolutionaries participate in local parades. In the videos below, please follow the parade with us here in Mazatlan.

Here is a little history on the revolution and why it is so important to the Mexican people.
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The Mexican Revolution of 1910 to 1917 was a time of political and social unrest in Mexican history. It began with efforts to oust president Porfirio Diaz and officially came to an end with the promulgation of a new constitution.

Porfirio Diaz had been in power for over thirty years when he gave an interview with American journalist James Creelman in 1908 in which he stated that Mexico was ready for democracy and that the president to follow him should be elected democratically. He said that he looked forward to the formation of opposing political parties. Francisco I. Madero, a lawyer from Coahuila, took Diaz at his word and decided to run against him in the 1910 elections.
Diaz (who apparently hadn't really meant what he said to Creelman) had Madero imprisoned and declared himself the winner of the elections. Madero wrote the Plan de San Luis Potosi which called for the people of Mexico to rise up in arms against the president on November 20th, 1910.

Causes of the Mexican Revolution:
The dictatorship-like rule of Pofirio Diaz for over 30 years
Exploitation and poor treatment of workers
Great disparity between rich and poor

The revolution was successful in getting rid of Porfirio Diaz, and since the revolution no president has governed for longer than the prescribed six years in office. The PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucionalizado - the Institutionalized Revolutionary Party) political party was a fruit of the revolution, and maintained the presidency from the time of the revolution until Vicente Fox of the PAN (Partido de Accion Nacional - National Action Party) was elected president in 2000.