The Last Caudillo. The Last Caudillo: Alvaro Obregón and the Mexican Revolution. Jürgen Buchenau 2011 Jürgen Buchenau. ISBN:

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1 The Last Caudillo The Last Caudillo: Alvaro Obregón and the Mexican Revolution. Jürgen Buchenau 2011 Jürgen Buchenau. ISBN:

2 Viewpoints/Puntos de Vista Themes and Interpretations in Latin American History Series editor: J ü rgen Buchenau The books in this series will introduce students to the most significant themes and topics in Latin American history. They represent a novel approach to designing supplementary texts for this growing market. Intended as supplementary textbooks, the books will also discuss the ways in which historians have interpreted these themes and topics, thus demonstrating to students that our understanding of our past is constantly changing, through the emergence of new sources, methodologies, and historical theories. Unlike monographs, the books in this series will be broad in scope and written in a style accessible to undergraduates. Published A History of the Cuban Revolution Aviva Chomsky Bartolom é de las Casas and the Conquest of the Americas Lawrence A. Clayton Beyond Borders: A History of Mexican Migration to the United States Timothy J. Henderson The Last Caudillo: Alvaro Obreg ó n and the Mexican Revolution Jürgen Buchenau In preparation Creoles vs. Peninsulars in Colonial Spanish America Mark Burkholder Dictatorship in South America Jerry Davila Mexico Since 1940: The Unscripted Revolution Stephen E. Lewis The Haitian Revolution, Jeremy Popkin

3 The Last Caudillo Alvaro Obregón and the Mexican Revolution Jürgen Buchenau A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication

4 This edition first published Jürgen Buchenau Blackwell Publishing was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February Blackwell s publishing program has been merged with Wiley s global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business to form Wiley-Blackwell. Registered Office John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom Editorial Offices 350 Main Street, Malden, MA , USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at The right of Jürgen Buchenau to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this title ISBN (hardback) ISBN (paperback) A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. This book is published in the following electronic formats: epdfs [ISBN ]; Wiley Online Library [ISBN ]; epub [ISBN ] Set in 10/12.5 pt Minion by Toppan Best-set Premedia Limited

5 To my mother, Sabine Prange

6 Table of Contents List of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments ix x xii Introduction 1 1 The Background of the Last Caudillo 11 From Santa Anna to Díaz 13 The Sonoran Background 22 2 An Improvised Leader, Obregón s Early Years 31 Obregón and the Beginning of the Mexican Revolution 41 Obregón s First Campaign 47 3 Chaos and Triumph, Obregón and the War Against Huerta 58 Obregón and the Clash Between Carranza and Villa 66 Obregón in the War Between the Factions 72 4 The Path to Power, Obregón s Emergence as a Political Leader 86 The Cincinnatus of the West (Part One) 94 The Campaign for the Presidency 97

7 viii Table of Contents 5 The President, The Construction of Obregón s Political Machine 112 Rebuilding the Nation 118 The Violent Breakup of the Sonoran Alliance The Last Caudillo, A Troubled Agribusiness 140 The Cincinnatus of the West (Part Two) 143 The Second Presidential Campaign 152 The Death of the Caudillo The Unquiet Grave 164 After the Caudillo 165 An Arm and a Revolution on a Stage 170 A Revolution and a Leader Lose Respect 173 Notes 178 Bibliography 200 Index 210

8 List of Illustrations Maps Map 1.1 Mexico in Map 1.2 Sonora in Figures Figure 2.1 The Ranch House at La Quinta Chilla. 37 Figure 2.2 Corn Harvest Time at La Quinta Chilla. 38 Figure 2.3 The Rich Battalion (Alvaro Obreg ó n is in the center of the bottom row; Francisco Serrano is on the far right). 49 Figure 3.1 Defending León from the División del Norte. 80 Figure 3.2 Obreg ó n after the loss of his arm, June 3, Figure 4.1 Obregón and his family, c Figure 4.2 Obregón campaigning in the state of Oaxaca. 102 Figure 4.3 The presidential inauguration, November 30, Figure 5.1 The human cost of the headless rebellion. 133 Figure 6.1 The execution of Father Pro. 160 Figure 6.2 Obregón s last moments. 161

9 Preface E ach book in the Viewpoints/Puntos de Vista series introduces students to a significant theme or topic in Latin American history. In an age in which student and faculty interest in the Global South increasingly challenges the old focus on the history of Europe and North America, Latin American history has assumed an increasingly prominent position in undergraduate curricula. Some of these books discuss the ways in which historians have interpreted these themes and topics, thus demonstrating that our understanding of our past is constantly changing, through the emergence of new sources, methodologies, and historical theories. Others offer an introduction to a particular theme by means of a case study or biography in a manner easily understood by the contemporary, non - specialist reader. Yet others give an overview of a major theme that might serve as the foundation of an upper - level course. What is common to all of these books is their goal of historical synthesis. They draw on the insights of generations of scholarship on the most enduring and fascinating issues in Latin American history, while also making use of primary sources as appropriate. Each book is written by a specialist in Latin American history who is concerned with undergraduate teaching, yet has also made his or her mark as a first-rate scholar. The books in this series can be used in a variety of ways, recognizing the differences in teaching conditions at small liberal arts colleges, large public universities, and research - oriented institutions with doctoral programs. Faculty have particular needs depending on whether they teach

10 Preface large lectures with discussion sections, small lecture or discussion - oriented classes, or large lectures with no discussion sections, and whether they teach on a semester or trimester system. The format adopted for this series fits all of these different parameters. In this fourth volume in the Viewpoints/Puntos de Vista series, I analyze the Mexican Revolution ( ) through the lens of one of its protagonists: General Alvaro Obreg ó n Salido, one of the greatest military leaders in the history of Latin America. The Mexican Revolution is of global historical significance because it was the first great revolution with an agrarian and social basis, and its successes and failures helped inform more radical social revolutions in Russia, China, and Cuba. Obreg ó n was the undefeated caudillo of the Mexican Revolution whose military genius and political acumen always put him on the winning side. His alliance of middle - class landowners from the northern border state of Sonora directed the destinies of Mexico between 1920 and 1935, a period that featured the formation of many of the institutions and political practices of modern Mexico. The life of Obreg ó n therefore offers an ideal vantage point from which to appreciate the causes, process, and outcome of the Mexican Revolution. It also affords an opportunity to study political leadership, authoritarianism, and political culture in Latin America more generally. Jürgen Buchenau University of North Carolina, Charlotte xi

11 Acknowledgments T he idea for this book was born in 1998 during a Latin American Studies Association meeting at a bar at the Chicago Hilton, when Colin MacLachlan suggested that I write a biography of Obreg ó n. At the time, I resisted the idea, as I knew and admired Linda Hall s Alvaro Obreg ó n: Power and Revolution in Mexico, , the only extant English - language biography of Obreg ó n and a meticulously researched work focusing on his role in the violent phase of the revolution in the 1910s. Instead, I wrote a life and times of Obreg ó n s most significant political ally, Plutarco El í as Calles, a leader among the primary architects of the country s modern political institutions. But Colin s suggestion never completely left my mind, and my examination of Calles raised fresh questions about the nature of leadership in the revolution and Obreg ó n s role, specifically. Almost twelve years later, at the centennial of the revolution, I have finally written the book that Colin suggested, as part of a larger research agenda on the Sonoran Dynasty in Mexico. I appreciate the assistance of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which provided a year - long fellowship that gave me the time to write this book. Financial support from UNC Charlotte, and particularly a Faculty Research Grant and an award from the Small Grants Program of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, allowed me to undertake the necessary research. I appreciate the permission of the University of New Mexico Press to republish, in shortened and revised form, my book chapter The Arm and Body of a Revolution: Remembering

12 Acknowledgments Mexico s Last Caudillo, Alvaro Obreg ó n, from Lyman Johnson, ed., Death, Dismemberment, and Memory: Body Politics in Latin America (2004). I could not have written this book without the assistance of the superbly competent staff at the Fideicomiso Archivos Plutarco El í as Calles y Fernando Torreblanca, probably the finest private archive in all of Mexico. In addition, I appreciate the help of my research assistant, Xenia Wirth. Xenia spent six weeks in Mexico City working through thousands of files in the Fideicomiso, and the research for the manuscript would have taken much longer to complete without her help. At Wiley - Blackwell, I particularly thank my editor, Peter Coveney, for supporting both the general idea for the Viewpoints/Puntos de Vista series and, specifically, the idea for a book that examines the Mexican Revolution through the lens of studying a single individual. Galen Smith was instrumental in keeping me on track and in guiding the manuscript through the production process. At UNC Charlotte, my fellow Latin Americanist historians Lyman Johnson, Jerry D á vila, and Tom Rogers contributed valuable suggestions. Among my professional colleagues at other institutions, Greg Crider, Bill Beezley, Daniela Spenser, Doug Richmond, Tim Henderson, and Linda Hall helped me sharpen and focus my ideas regarding Obreg ó n s career. Finally, a word of thanks to my family: Anabel, Nicolas, and Julia. Writing this book was a time consuming exercise, which was even more taxing on all of them at a time when I also assumed administrative responsibilities at my university. I know that they are as glad that this book is completed as I am. xiii