I doubt that I’ll be alive thirty years from now but it sure would be interesting to read all the history books at that time. I always found American history far more interesting than Canadian history. And now that I spend so much time here in Mexico, I have become more familiar with this country’s history.

November 20th is an official government holiday and is known as Dia de la Revolucion or Revolution Day. It commemorates the beginning of the Mexican Revolution back in 1910.

Diaz was an army general who served as president from 1876-1911. That’s a thirty-five year term. It’s not surprising that Mexicans felt that they needed a change. Madero, a wealthy landowner, ran against Diaz in the 1910 presidential election. However Diaz jailed Madero.

Madero escaped from jail and on October 6, 1910 he issued the Plan of San Luis Potosi, declaring the results of the 1910 election fraudulent and nullified them. He declared himself the provisional president and encouraged Mexicans to rise up against Diaz on November 20, 1910.

One of the results from the Mexican Revolution was that many Mexicans came up north to live in the United States as legal immigrants. Over one million Mexicans, some undocumented, made their way across the border. It wasn’t until four years later that a border patrol was created.

In 1917, a new constitution put limits on the number of terms politicians could serve. It also introduced new labor laws that included abolishing child labor.

Yes, Mexico has its own colorful history.