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José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori
was fatherless from the age of three. He entered the Seminary of Oaxaca to pursue an ecclesiastical career, but soon changed his mind. He later studied law at the Instituto de Ciencias y Artes, where he was a disciple of the future liberal president Benito Juárez, who taught civil law. -
Porfirio Díaz joined the army, and his military career rose. In the Reform War (1858-1861), a civil conflict between conservatives and liberals, he supported the liberal cause. The war ended with the victory of the liberals, after which Porfirio Díaz was promoted to general and elected deputy.
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Porfirio Díaz presented again his candidacy for the presidency and was elected. He took office on December 1st and was marked by the influence of positivism.
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He was President of Mexico between 1880 and 1884. Prior to holding this position, he participated in the American Intervention in Mexico as a lieutenant and later fought in the Reform War on the side of the Conservative Party.
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Subsequently, mining was resumed and improved, and mining experienced a golden period: in 1901 Mexico was the second largest copper producer in the world. The textile industry was developed with French and Spanish capital and favored the establishment of powerful financial institutions in the country.
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The Cananea and Río Blanco strikes undermined the prestige of Díaz, who in 1908 declared to journalist James Creelman that he was ready to abandon power in 1910. This panorama of social decomposition led to the Mexican Revolution.
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The Porfiriato had created a great political dissatisfaction that was aggravated by the world crisis of 1907, which reduced foreign investments and affected the national economy, especially in the areas of industry and agriculture.
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Porfirio Diaz's army, which had kept the peace for decades, seemed very strong, but in reality it was weak in the face of general discontent. In only six months the Maderista forces triumphed and in May 1911, peace was signed between the Diaz government and the Maderistas. Porfirio Diaz resigned the presidency.
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In 1915, General Porfirio Diaz died at the age of 84 in Paris, France. There he lived his last years accompanied by his wife Carmelita Romero Rubio and some of his most loyal friends. He was frequently visited by his children and enjoyed strolling along the Bois de Boulogne Avenue.
