How did the leaders of the Mexican Political Revolution communicate? At 113 years old, it is important and interesting to explain his Political Communication tools. Doroteo Arango, obviously, did not have xEmiliano Zapata did not broadcast his rides through Chinameca, Morelos through TikToknor Francisco I. Madero recorded messages in instagram. Currently the political class prefers billboards disguised as magazine covers to make themselves known, among many other tricks. But better let’s go in parts:
Telegraph: It was decisive in various stages of the history of our country. Many leaders used it as a tool of Political Communication starting in 1910, to communicate with their peers; strategic moves and send information. Electricity served as a political input for the revolutionary offensives to unfold. However, it was during the government of General Porfirio Díaz, when its use was enhanced. Political messages about what was happening in the national territory arrived daily at his office; from educational activities, new pests, to the arrival and departure of goods from ports. Nobody imagined on November 5, 1851, when the first telegraph line was inaugurated in the country by President Mariano Arista, the importance of this device.
Carrier pigeons: They were used since Ancient Egypt (1350 BC). There are many anecdotes about these birds; but Gustav was a carrier pigeon of English origin, which during World War II was key to the objectives of the Allies. Also called pigeon racing, understood as the activity of breeding and training pigeons to turn them into messengers, capable of returning to their loft; It is a strategic means of communication, in war conflicts, thanks to its ability to travel long distances without being captured; Not even drones have that agility. Let us remember that in Greek times, they were used, in the midst of war truces, to communicate who the winners of the Olympic games were. During the revolutionary era in Mexico, various leaders used these storm birds to communicate coded messages.
Cinema: President Porfirio Díaz, thanks to his taste for French culture, consolidated Frenchification. For that reason he invited the Lumiere brothers, creators of cinema, to our country with the aim of continuing with his cultural strategy. At the beginning the objective was to record the daily activities of General Díaz; However, it served to document and stigmatize the enemies of the Oaxaca leader. Years later, other figures of the Revolution, such as Álvaro Obregón and Francisco I. Madero, had directed film staff who not only followed in their footsteps, but also generated propaganda stories.
In this same sense, Doroteo Arango, better known as Pancho Villa, capitalized on his popularity, and generated interest in North American directors to record his battles. Even in the historical construction of Mexico it is claimed that “El Centauro del Norte” financed American producers to record their tours. “In fact, there are those who claim that the famous Battle of Celaya was not real, but that Villa himself choreographed it to look victorious.” More details can be read at Pancho Villaa two-volume biography of Friedrich Katz, where it is stated that many of the Durango native’s photographs were perfectly produced with landscapes and cavalry that communicated his power.
Press: Almost finished, journalism served as propaganda in March 1908, when the American journalist James Creelman interviewed for Pearson’s Magazine to Porfirio Díaz, within the framework of the presidential elections; and it was there that from the Castle of Chapultepec, and number one declared: “I have waited patiently for the day to come when the people of the Mexican Republic are prepared to choose and change their rulers in each election, without danger of armed revolutions.” , without harming the national credit and without interfering with the progress of the country. “I think that day has finally come.” The telegraph, carrier pigeons, cinema and the press were tools used by the leaders who would ultimately form part of the historical bronze construction of our country.
Political communicator, academic at FCPyS UNAM and Master in Political Journalism @gersonmecalco