Contents

Other Links for Mexico

caudillo- a military dictator or political overlord

PRI- The Institutional Revolutionary Party which ruled Mexico from 1927 to 2000

Father Morelos- a priest who tried to continue the first revolution of Mexico from Spain

mestizo- a mixed European and Native American

Francisco Madero- he ran for the mexican presidency in 1910 against Diaz but lost and was jailed.

He revolted in 1911 and became the president. Factions within the country became disenchanted with his rule and killed him.

Ejidos-cooperative farms run by peasants during the 1920's.  This land was taken from the haciendados.

Fidel Velazquez- head of the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), who did more than any other single individual to keep Mexican workers in a position of subordination to the Mexican government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the employers.

cacique-An Indian chief, especially in the Spanish West Indies and other parts of Latin America during colonial and postcolonial times.

Carlos Salinas de Gotari- President of Mexico from 1988-1994

corporatism- describes the way people are integrated into the system via patron-client relations

Creole- any person born in the Americas of European [mainly Spaniard] parents

NAFTA- North American Free Trade Agreement, which links Mexico , USA , and Canada together for free intercontinental trade

Indian- a Native American who lived in Central America before the Spaniards arrived

Amparo- spanish word for shelter

Gobernacion- the ministry responsible for internal security and the administration of elections in Mexico

Tecnicos- No Information Found

camarilla- a politician's personal following in a patron-client relationship

PAN- National Action Party, the leading right-of-center opposition party in Mexico

Zapatistas- a group of indigenous people in the country of Mexico that have formed their own army (EZLN) to try and liberate themselves from the current Mexican rule.  They have captured many cities in the Chiapas provinces.  They can be related to the cuban and nicaraguan guerrilla revolts.

Emiliano Zapata- a leader of loosely coordinated bands of peasants in the Mexican countryside during the 1910 revolution.  He rebelled about 2 weeks after Madero was installed as the new president

Bracero Program- in which more than 4 million Mexican farm laborers came to work the fields of this nation

Cocei- Coalition of Workers, Peasants, and Students of the Isthmus.  COCEI, has governed Juchitán since 1989. COCEI administers social welfarefunds for the city of 100,000 with widely acknowledged efficiency, promotes Zapotec language and culture, and mobilizes poor people around pressing economic issues.

PEMEX-Mexico’s nationalized petro-chemical industry.

Cuauhtemoc Cardenas- Son of Lazaro Cardenas, founder of the PRD, and first elected mayor of Mexico City .

OAS- Organization of American States.  Promotes charter throughout the American countries.

Pendulum Effect- the notion that policies can shift from left to right as the balance of partisan power changes.  In Mexico , reflects the fact that the PRI can move from one side to another on its own as circumstances warrant.

Chamber of Deputies- the lower house of Mexico ’s bicameral legislature.

Municipio- the Spanish word for municipality or city in Mexico .

CONASUPO- Intervention from the Mexican government in agriculture was a major component of development that Mexico followed from the 1930’s to the 1990’s.  The National Company of Popular Subsistence (CONASUPO) gave price supports to domestic producers of twelve crops: barely, beans, copra, corn, cotton seed, rice, sesame seed, sorghum, soy, sunflower, wheat and sunflower. 

Ernesto Zedillo- President of Mexico from 1994-2000

Father Hidalgo- In Mexico, Hidalgo is credited with arousing the spirit of rebellion against the Spanish oppression. Because of his patriotism, his championing of human rights and his personal courage, he is considered by Mexicans to be the father of their nation and the symbol of Mexican independence. Each year on September 15, Independence Day is celebrated throughout Mexico , with parades, fireworks, and the cry of “Mexicanos, Viva Mexico !”

Porfirio Diaz- Mexican statesman, a mestizo, christened José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz. He gained prominence by supporting Benito Juárez and the liberals in the War of the Reform and in the war against Emperor Maximilian and the French (1861—67). Defeated by Juárez in the presidential election of 1871, Díaz charged fraud and led a revolt against the government, which was not suppressed until after the inauguration of Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada. Díaz again lost in the presidential race of 1876. He refused defeat, rose against Lerdo, and gained the presidency. Aside from a brief interregnum from 1880 to 1884 when he handpicked Manuel González as his temporary successor, he remained in power until 1911. His rule was ruthless and ultimately effective.

Lazaro Cardenas- Mexican President from 1934 to 1940.  The last Radical reformer to hold office in the country.

Maquiladoras- factories in Mexico (initially on the U.S. border, now anywhere) that operated tax-free in manufacturing goods for export.

Charrismo- a charisma

PRD- Party of Democratic Revolution. Mexico ’s left of center opposition party.

Constitution of 1917- this constitution draws heavily on the principles underlying the largely ineffective but popular 1857 document.  Presidents and most other officeholders were denied the right to run for reelection.   The power of the church was sharply limited.  Foreigners were not allowed to own Mexican land or mineral resources.  The huge haciendas could also be broken up, though not without compensation for their current owners.

Federal District- also known as Mexico city where federal offices are located.

GATT- General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade.