Contains links to biographies of some of Mexico's more famous presidents.
The period from 1810 to 1900 was an important one for the United States of Mexico. During this time, the young nation went through a number of different presidents, from madmen (Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna) to statesmen (Benito Juarez) to dictators (Porfirio Diaz) to emperors (Maximilian of Austria). Each of these men left his mark on Mexican politics.
From Emperor Iturbide to Felipe Calderón, Mexico has been ruled by a series of men: some visionary, some violent, some autocratic and some insane. Here you'll find biographies of some of the most important ones to sit in Mexico's troubled Presidential Chair.
As the Mexican Revolution turned into a bloody battle for survival, one man and his army rose to the top: Sonoran Garbanzo bean farmer Alvaro Obregón.
Porfirio Díaz ruled Mexico like a king for thirty-five long years (1876-1911). During this time, he modernized the economy, improved infrastructure, and made Mexico an important player in the global economy. Why, then, did the people of Mexico rise up and begin the Mexican Revolution just to kick him out?
Venustiano Carranza was one of the major players in the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). A former Governor of Coahuila and Cabinet member under Francisco Madero, Carranza raised an army to battle rival warlords such as Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata and Victoriano Huerta. He eventually reached the presidency (1917-1920) but was assassinated.
Victoriano Huerta was a Mexican general who briefly became president during the Mexican Revolution. Responsible for the murder of Francisco Madero, he was widely despised by other revolutionaries like Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata.
An unlikely revolutionary, Francisco Madero (1873-1913) was a Mexican writer and politician whose efforts to democratically unseat dictator Porfirio Diaz resulted in the start of the Mexican Revolution.
Felipe Calderón (1962-) is the current president of Mexico, having been elected in 2006 in a highly controversial election. He is a member of the conservative PAN party.
Lázaro Cárdenas del Rio was President of Mexico from 1934 to 1940. An honest, hardworking veteran of the Revolution, he stabilized the country when it needed it the most. Along with Benito Juarez, he is one of Mexico's most-beloved statesmen.
Benito Juarez, one of Mexico's most important statesmen and reformers, was the most powerful Mexican politician of his era and a driving force in Mexican politics for several years.
