Rodolfo Herrero

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Rodolfo Herrero was a Mexican military officer, noteworthy for his participation in the Mexican Revolution of 1910 to 1920. He is generally believed to be the officer responsible for the death of President Venustiano Carranza.

Mexican Revolution major nationwide armed struggle in Mexico between 1910 and 1920

The Mexican Revolution, also known as the Mexican Civil War, was a major armed struggle, lasting roughly from 1910 to 1920, that transformed Mexican culture and government. Although recent research has focused on local and regional aspects of the Revolution, it was a genuinely national revolution. Its outbreak in 1910 resulted from the failure of the 31-year-long regime of Porfirio Díaz to find a managed solution to the presidential succession. This meant there was a political crisis among competing elites and the opportunity for agrarian insurrection. Wealthy landowner Francisco I. Madero challenged Díaz in the 1910 presidential election, and following the rigged results, revolted under the Plan of San Luis Potosí. Armed conflict ousted Díaz from power; a new election was held in 1911, bringing Madero to the presidency.

Venustiano Carranza Mexican politician and president of Mexico

José Venustiano Carranza De La Garza was one of the main leaders of the Mexican Revolution, whose victorious northern revolutionary Constitutionalist Army defeated the counter-revolutionary regime of Victoriano Huerta and then defeated fellow revolutionaries after Huerta's ouster. He secured power in Mexico, serving as head of state from 1915–1917. With the promulgation of a new revolutionary Mexican Constitution of 1917, he was elected president, serving from 1917 to 1920.

Biography

In early 1920, Herrero was a rebel commander subordinate to General Manuel Pelaez. However, in March 1920, he surrendered to Carranza's forces under the promise of amnesty and he was allowed to keep his rank of General.

In May 1920, Carranza's government collapsed under pressure from forces supporting Álvaro Obregón. Carranza and his supporters attempted to flee Mexico City to Veracruz. At the Aljibes rail station, they were informed that the rail line had been severed and that Veracruz had fallen. So Carranza proposed to travel on foot north to San Luis Potosí. It was near the rural village of La Union that Carranza's small party was joined by the forces of Rodolfo Herrero. Herrero offered to guide and escort Carranza's party through the rugged rural area of northern Puebla. He escorted the party to the small settlement of Tlaxcalantongo. Herrero then excused himself by saying he had to attend to a wounded brother [Hermilo Herrero], but promised to return.

Álvaro Obregón Mexican politician, president of Mexico

Álvaro Obregón Salido was a general in the Mexican Revolution, who became President of Mexico from 1920 to 1924. He supported Sonora's decision to follow Governor of Coahuila Venustiano Carranza as leader of a revolution against the Huerta regime. Carranza appointed Obregón commander of the revolutionary forces in northwestern Mexico and in 1915 appointed him as his minister of war. In 1920, Obregón launched a revolt against Carranza, in which Carranza was assassinated; he won the subsequent election with overwhelming support.

Mexico City Capital City in Mexico, Mexico

Mexico City, or the City of Mexico, is the capital of Mexico and the most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and financial centres in the world. It is located in the Valley of Mexico, a large valley in the high plateaus in the center of Mexico, at an altitude of 2,240 meters (7,350 ft). The city has 16 boroughs.

Veracruz State of Mexico

Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is Xalapa-Enríquez.

In the early morning of May 21, 1920, Carranza's party was attacked by soldiers believed to be under the command of the Herrero brothers. When the dawn came, Carranza was discovered dead from several bullet wounds.

Rodolfo Herrero was ordered to Mexico City for questioning. Obregón denounced him for murder and treason. In the Capital, Herrero was questioned at length but not held. Seven months later, he was confined for a week in the military prison of Santiago Tlaltelolco. He was stripped of his military rank and cashiered out of the army, but otherwise allowed to go free.

Herrero was subsequently reinstated as a general during the presidency of Obregón, only to be dismissed again during the presidency of Lázaro Cárdenas in 1937. His brother Hermilo Herrero joined forces with Francisco "Pancho" Villa. Slowly moving up the ranks and eventually becoming a general for the Villa army. He died of natural causes in 1964. He always denied that Carranza was murdered. He espoused the alternative theory that Carranza after being wounded in the leg had committed suicide as stated by several eyewitnesses including Paulino Fontes, Manuel Aguirre, Pedro gil Farias and Ignacio Suarez. This theory presumes that general Basave y Piña never intended to kill Carranza but to capture him.

Lázaro Cárdenas President of Mexico

Lázaro Cárdenas del Río was a general in the Constitutionalist Army during the Mexican Revolution and a statesman who served as President of Mexico between 1934 and 1940. He is best known for nationalization of the oil industry in 1938 and the creation of Pemex, the government oil company. He also revived agrarian reform in Mexico, expropriating large landed estates and distributing land to small holders in collective holdings (ejidos).

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