Práxedis Guerrero
Encyclopedia
Práxedis Gilberto Guerrero Hurtado (28 August 1882 – 30 December 1910) was a Mexican
journalist who served as an insurgent leader during the 1910 Revolution
.
Guerrero was originally from Los Altos de Ibarra near León, Guanajuato
, where his parents owned a hacienda
. After finishing his secondary schooling, he began working as a labourer.
In 1899 he submitted his first articles to the newspapers El Heraldo Comercial and El Despertador.
In 1901, Filomeno Mata
appointed him a correspondent on Diario del Hogar and, that same year, he enlisted as a reservist in the National Army, where he reached the rank of second lieutenant (cavalry).
In 1903 he began to read newspapers that opposed the ongoing dictatorship of President
Porfirio Díaz
, including El Demófilo and El hijo del Ahuizote; he also met several anarchist writers.
After the army (under orders from Gov
. Bernardo Reyes
) opened fire on a liberal demonstration in Monterrey, Nuevo León, on 2 April of that year,
he resigned his commission in the reserves.
In 1904 he relocated to the United States
and began working as a mine labourer in Denver, Colorado
.
In 1905 he moved to San Francisco, California
, where he published the newspaper Alba Roja ("Red Dawn");
In May 1906 Guerrero was visited by Manuel Sarabia
, who invited him to participate on the Organizing Committee of the Mexican Liberal Party
(JOPLM).
In addition to Alba Roja, Guerrero worked on other papers, including Revolución (1908) and Punto Rojo (1909),
which had a weekly print-run of 10,000 copies in El Paso, Texas
, and joined its voice to calls for a general strike
;
he also contributed to Regeneración
, published by the Flores Magón
brothers. He was a member of the Mexican Liberal Party
(PLM) and fought in the party's military campaigns.
In September 1910, Regeneración published the stories of three 1908 revolutionary episodes, in which Guerrero described PLM attacks on the settlements of Las Vacas (modern-day Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila), Viesca, Coahuila, and Puerto Palomas
, Chihuahua, intended to spark a social revolution across Mexico.
The liberal opposition to Díaz's regime finally declared open rebellion on 20 November 1910, under Francisco I. Madero
's Plan de San Luis.
Guerrero, who had been appointed Chief of Operations of the Confederation of Groups of the Liberal Army in Mexico,
decided to raise an armed force in El Paso, Texas, and lead it across the border, even with the disapproval of the PLM's Organizing Committee, which wanted him to dedicate his efforts to writing and reporting.
On 22 December, some 30 revolutionaries led by Guerrero entered Mexico through Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua,
attacked a hacienda, sequestered a train, and advanced toward the south, destroying the railway bridges as they passed. At Estación Guzmán, Chihuahua, they were joined by another 20 insurgents; there, on 25 December, they split into two groups, the larger one led by Guerrero and the other by Prisciliano Silva.
Guerrero took the town of Corralitos on 27 December and, the following day (unsuccessfully) demanded the surrender of Casas Grandes
. During the night of 29 December, he led his forces on an attack on Janos and, by the following morning, the town was in rebel hands.
That same day, however, Práxedis Guerrero was killed. The circumstances of his death are unclear, and there are at least three different versions of the incident. Ethel Duffy Turner claims he was shot by one of his men who confused Guerrero with a spy as he was gaining higher ground to conduct reconnaissance; Martínez Nuñez says Guerrero was shot in the right eye while climbing onto a roof to repel an attack by federal forces; while Enrique Flores Magón
reports that Guerrero was shot in the forehead while explaining the ideals of the PLM to the assembled townsfolk.
In Chihuahua, Práxedis Guerrero has a town
and a municipality
that honour his name. Another settlement in the state of Durango
also bears his name.
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
journalist who served as an insurgent leader during the 1910 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...
.
Guerrero was originally from Los Altos de Ibarra near León, Guanajuato
León, Guanajuato
The city of León, formally León de los Aldama is the sixth most populous city in Mexico and the first in the state of Guanajuato. It is also the seat of the municipality of León...
, where his parents owned a hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
. After finishing his secondary schooling, he began working as a labourer.
In 1899 he submitted his first articles to the newspapers El Heraldo Comercial and El Despertador.
In 1901, Filomeno Mata
Filomeno Mata
Filomeno Mata in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located in central zone of the State of Veracruz, about 298 km from state capital Xalapa. It has a surface of 62.51 km2...
appointed him a correspondent on Diario del Hogar and, that same year, he enlisted as a reservist in the National Army, where he reached the rank of second lieutenant (cavalry).
In 1903 he began to read newspapers that opposed the ongoing dictatorship of President
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
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...
, including El Demófilo and El hijo del Ahuizote; he also met several anarchist writers.
After the army (under orders from Gov
Governor of Nuevo León
The Mexican state of Nuevo León has been governed by more than a hundred individuals in its history, who have had various titles and degrees of responsibility depending on the prevailing political regime of the time....
. Bernardo Reyes
Bernardo Reyes
Bernardo Reyes was a General in the army of Mexico under Porfirio Díaz. He served as governor of Nuevo León he helped in the modernization of that state. While governor of Nuevo León, Reyes approved a workers compensation law. He was the father of the writer Alfonso Reyes, and grandfather of the...
) opened fire on a liberal demonstration in Monterrey, Nuevo León, on 2 April of that year,
he resigned his commission in the reserves.
In 1904 he relocated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and began working as a mine labourer in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
In 1905 he moved to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, where he published the newspaper Alba Roja ("Red Dawn");
In May 1906 Guerrero was visited by Manuel Sarabia
Manuel Sarabia
Manuel Sarabia López is a former Spanish footballer, who played as a left-footed striker.-Club career:...
, who invited him to participate on the Organizing Committee of the Mexican Liberal Party
Mexican Liberal Party
The Mexican Liberal Party was an anarchist group co-founded by Ricardo Flores Magón in 1906, in opposition to the rule of Porfirio Díaz. The MLP was involved in strikes and uprisings in Mexico from 1906 to 1911. The party controlled most parts of Baja California in 1911, including Tijuana,...
(JOPLM).
In addition to Alba Roja, Guerrero worked on other papers, including Revolución (1908) and Punto Rojo (1909),
which had a weekly print-run of 10,000 copies in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, and joined its voice to calls for a general strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
;
he also contributed to Regeneración
Regeneración
Regeneración was a Mexican anarchist newspaper that functioned as the official organ of the Mexican Liberal Party. Founded by the Flores Magón brothers in 1900, it was forced to move to the United States in 1905. Jesús Flores Magón published the paper , while his brothers Ricardo and Enrique...
, published by the Flores Magón
Flores Magón
Flores Magón is a Mexican surname.People with the surname Flores Magón include the trio of Mexican anarchist brothers:*Ricardo Flores Magón *Jesús Flores Magón *Enrique Flores Magón...
brothers. He was a member of the Mexican Liberal Party
Mexican Liberal Party
The Mexican Liberal Party was an anarchist group co-founded by Ricardo Flores Magón in 1906, in opposition to the rule of Porfirio Díaz. The MLP was involved in strikes and uprisings in Mexico from 1906 to 1911. The party controlled most parts of Baja California in 1911, including Tijuana,...
(PLM) and fought in the party's military campaigns.
In September 1910, Regeneración published the stories of three 1908 revolutionary episodes, in which Guerrero described PLM attacks on the settlements of Las Vacas (modern-day Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila), Viesca, Coahuila, and Puerto Palomas
Puerto Palomas, Chihuahua
Puerto Palomas de Villa, also known simply as Palomas, is a small town of 4,688 people in the municipality of Ascensión, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua...
, Chihuahua, intended to spark a social revolution across Mexico.
The liberal opposition to Díaz's regime finally declared open rebellion on 20 November 1910, under 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...
's Plan de San Luis.
Guerrero, who had been appointed Chief of Operations of the Confederation of Groups of the Liberal Army in Mexico,
decided to raise an armed force in El Paso, Texas, and lead it across the border, even with the disapproval of the PLM's Organizing Committee, which wanted him to dedicate his efforts to writing and reporting.
On 22 December, some 30 revolutionaries led by Guerrero entered Mexico through Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua,
attacked a hacienda, sequestered a train, and advanced toward the south, destroying the railway bridges as they passed. At Estación Guzmán, Chihuahua, they were joined by another 20 insurgents; there, on 25 December, they split into two groups, the larger one led by Guerrero and the other by Prisciliano Silva.
Guerrero took the town of Corralitos on 27 December and, the following day (unsuccessfully) demanded the surrender of Casas Grandes
Casas Grandes
Casas Grandes is the contemporary name given to a pre-Columbian archaeological zone and its central site, located in northwestern Mexico in the modern-day Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is one of the largest and most complex sites in the region...
. During the night of 29 December, he led his forces on an attack on Janos and, by the following morning, the town was in rebel hands.
That same day, however, Práxedis Guerrero was killed. The circumstances of his death are unclear, and there are at least three different versions of the incident. Ethel Duffy Turner claims he was shot by one of his men who confused Guerrero with a spy as he was gaining higher ground to conduct reconnaissance; Martínez Nuñez says Guerrero was shot in the right eye while climbing onto a roof to repel an attack by federal forces; while Enrique Flores Magón
Enrique Flores Magón
Enrique Flores Magón was a Mexican journalist and politician, associated with the Mexican Liberal Party and anarchism...
reports that Guerrero was shot in the forehead while explaining the ideals of the PLM to the assembled townsfolk.
Legacy
Práxedis G. Guerrero, Chihuahua
Práxedis Gilberto Guerrero http://www.mpiopraxedisguerrero.gob.mx is the municipal seat of the municipality of Práxedis G. Guerrero in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua.In the 2005 Census, the town reported a population of 3,431...
and a municipality
Práxedis G. Guerrero (municipality)
Práxedis G. Guerrero is one of the 67 municipalities of Chihuahua, in northern Mexico. The municipal seat lies at Práxedis G. Guerrero, Chihuahua. The municipality covers an area of 808.97 km² and stands on the US border close to Ciudad Juárez.-Name:...
that honour his name. Another settlement in the state of Durango
Durango
Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...
also bears his name.
External links
- Artículos de combate, Chantal López & Omar Cortés (eds.), 1977.
- Weaving the Past: Journey of Discovery, Documetal by Walter Dominguez about Práxedis Guerrero.