Plan of San Luis Potosí
Encyclopedia
The Plan of San Luis de Potosí was a political document
written in San Antonio, Texas
, United States
, and published in the Mexican
city of San Luis Potosí
in 1910. The document ushered in the Mexican revolution
and the collapse of the Presidency
of Porfirio Díaz
. The document, or 'plan', called for the destruction of Díaz's authoritarian presidency and the re-institution of democracy
through violent direct action on the part of the Mexican populace. The plan was written and published in Texas
by a group of exiles led by Francisco I. Madero
, a political opponent to Díaz who had been jailed when his popularity threatened the arranged triumph of the old leader in the 1910 presidential election.
The Plan asked the Mexican people to rise in arms on Sunday, November 20, 1910, at 6:00 PM, but the first action occurred two days earlier, when Aquiles Serdán
was found to be part of Madero's revolution in the state of Puebla
and was forced to an early fight in his home, helped by his family. Most of them died. After that, the Mexican Revolution
broke out on November 20, 1910 against the political, commercial and social policies of the regime, taking "Effective Suffrage - No Re-election!" as a slogan.
(Incidentally, this slogan can still be found at the foot of many official and legal documents written in Mexico.)
The document itself is considered an important historic symbol for the current Mexican State which owes its own existence, in great part, to the collapse of the old regime and the establishment of the PRI-dominated republic.
Plans in Mexican History
In Mexican history, a plan was a declaration of principles announced in conjunction with a rebellion, usually armed, against the central government of the country . Mexican plans were often more formal than the pronunciamientos that were their equivalent elsewhere in Spanish America and Spain...
written in San Antonio, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and published in the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
city of San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí, commonly called SLP or simply San Luis, is the capital of, and most populous city in the Mexican state of the same name. The city lies at an elevation of 1,850 meters...
in 1910. The document ushered in the Mexican revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
and the collapse of the Presidency
Presidency
The word presidency is often used to describe the administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation...
of Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
. The document, or 'plan', called for the destruction of Díaz's authoritarian presidency and the re-institution of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
through violent direct action on the part of the Mexican populace. The plan was written and published in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
by a group of exiles led by Francisco I. Madero
Francisco I. Madero
Francisco Ignacio Madero González was a politician, writer and revolutionary who served as President of Mexico from 1911 to 1913. As a respectable upper-class politician, he supplied a center around which opposition to the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz could coalesce...
, a political opponent to Díaz who had been jailed when his popularity threatened the arranged triumph of the old leader in the 1910 presidential election.
The Plan asked the Mexican people to rise in arms on Sunday, November 20, 1910, at 6:00 PM, but the first action occurred two days earlier, when Aquiles Serdán
Aquiles Serdán
Aquiles Serdán Alatriste , born in the city of Puebla, Puebla, was a Mexican politician who took part in the Mexican Revolution as an opponent of Porfirio Díaz, supporting Francisco I...
was found to be part of Madero's revolution in the state of Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
and was forced to an early fight in his home, helped by his family. Most of them died. After that, the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
broke out on November 20, 1910 against the political, commercial and social policies of the regime, taking "Effective Suffrage - No Re-election!" as a slogan.
(Incidentally, this slogan can still be found at the foot of many official and legal documents written in Mexico.)
The document itself is considered an important historic symbol for the current Mexican State which owes its own existence, in great part, to the collapse of the old regime and the establishment of the PRI-dominated republic.