Mexican Revolution Day is an official government holiday, celebrated annually in Mexico on

November 20 Events Pre-1600 * 284 – Diocletian is chosen as Roman emperor. * 762 – During the An Shi Rebellion, the Tang dynasty, with the help of Huihe tribe, recaptures Luoyang from the rebels. *1194 – Palermo is conquered by Henry ...

, marking the start of what became the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

. The

, initiated by

Francisco I. Madero Francisco Ignacio Madero González (; 30 October 1873 – 22 February 1913) was a Mexican businessman, revolutionary, writer and statesman, who served as the 37th president of Mexico from 1911 until he was deposed in a coup d'état in Februa ...

on November 20, 1910, led to the overthrow of dictator

Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori (; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915) was a General (Mexico), Mexican general and politician who was the dictator of Mexico from 1876 until Mexican Revolution, his overthrow in 1911 seizing power in a Plan ...

after his 35-year rule. Madero, who had opposed Díaz in the 1910 election, was imprisoned but escaped, issuing the Plan of

San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí, officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí, is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 59 municipalities and is named after its capital city, San Luis Potosí. It ...

to declare the election results fraudulent and call for a revolt. The revolution culminated in significant social and political changes, including the 1917 Constitution, which introduced labor reforms like the 8-hour workday, abolished child labor, and promoted equal pay. The commemoration of the revolution is celebrated as a national holiday, though the style of celebration has evolved over the years, including modifications to the parade schedule and location. Since 2006, the holiday has been observed on the third Monday of November, and the 2019 reinstatement of the civil-military-athletic parade marked a return to traditional observances.

History

The Mexican Revolution brought the overthrow of Army general and dictator

after 35 years as president of Mexico (1876-1911). In the 1910 presidential election, liberal politician

opposed Díaz. Díaz jailed Madero, who then escaped, issuing the

Plan of San Luis Potosí 230px, Francisco I. Madero, President of Mexico (1911–1913) The Plan of San Luis Potosí () is a key political document of the Mexican Revolution, written by presidential candidate Francisco I. Madero following his escape from jail. He had ...

on October 6, 1910. In that plan, Madero declared the results of the 1910 election fraudulent, nullified them, asserted that he was provisional president, and called for Mexicans to rise up against Díaz on November 20, 1910.Stuart F. Voss, "Plan of San Luis Potosí". ''Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture'' vol. 4, p. 421. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons 1996. He wrote "Throw the usurpers from power, recover your rights as free men, and remember that our ancestors left us a heritage of glory which we are not able to stain. Be as they were: invincible in war, magnanimous in victory." The commemoration is celebrated in Mexico as an official holiday. Until 2006 and again from 2009 to 2013 the national celebrations were located at the Zocalo in Mexico City. Given the recent political and national tragedies that happened in 2014 the parades were called off at the aftermath of the 2014 Iguala mass kidnapping, (this was the case also in 2015), and the celebrations happened in the Campo Marte in the capital, thus pushing the national parade up to November 23, Navy Day, with only Mexican Navy personnel in attendance. Thus the national November 20 parades, during the remaining years of the

Enrique Peña Nieto Enrique Peña Nieto (; born 20 July 1966), commonly referred to by his initials EPN, is a Mexican former politician and lawyer who was the 64th president of Mexico from 2012 to 2018. A member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), he p ...

presidency, had now been replaced by state level ones, which have been held in major cities all over the nation as per tradition, but in a reduced basis, given recent cancellations due to protest actions on the said date in several state capitals. During the presidency of

Andrés Manuel López Obrador Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican former politician, political scientist, public administrator and writer who served as the 65th president of Mexico from 2018 to 2024. He se ...

, the traditional civil-military-athletic parade was finally reinstated in 2019. The first crucial revolution during the 20th century was the Mexican Revolution.Green, Susan Marie. "Mexican Revolution." ''Multicultural America'': ''A Multimedia Encyclopedia'', edited by Carlos E. Cortés and Jane E. Sloan, vol. 3, SAGE Reference, 2014, pp. 1453-1455. ''Gale eBooks'', https://link-gale-com.butte.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/CX3718500587/GPS?u=orov49112&sid=GPS&xid=9d559bec . Accessed 27 Sept. 2019. The Mexican Revolution drove many Mexicans to migrate to the United States. The constitution created in 1917, in response to the revolution, established limits on the period of time politicians could be in power."Mexican Revolution." ''Worldmark Modern Conflict and Diplomacy'', edited by Elizabeth P. Manar, vol. 2: Japanese Invasion of China to Yugoslav Wars, Gale, 2014, pp. 376-381. ''Gale eBooks'', https://link-gale-com.butte.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/CX3784400067/GPS?u=orov49112&sid=GPS&xid=d39922ad . Accessed 27 Sept. 2019. The Constitution also included labor reform laws that covered 8 hour workdays, abolished child labor, and established equal pay.

Date

Article 74 of the Mexican labor law (''Ley Federal del Trabajo'') provides that the third Monday of November (regardless the date) will be the official Day of the Revolution holiday in Mexico. This was a modification of the law made in 2005, effective since 2006; before then, it was November 20 regardless of the day, and all schools gave extended holidays if the day was a Tuesday or Thursday.

References

{{Clear Public holidays in Mexico Fiestas Patrias (Mexico) Mexican Revolution 1910 in Mexico Recurring events established in 1910 November observances Festivals established in 1910 Autumn in Mexico

History

Date

See also

References