MSU pays tribute to the Mexican Revolution of 1910

Most of México’s present social and political system is deeply rooted in reforms brought about by the Mexican Revolution.  The population grew tired of injustices committed under the dictatorship of President Porfirio Díaz and his supporters, who used their political and economic resources to hold office for thirty-one years (1876-1880; 1884-1911).

The Mexican Constitution called for public elections and other institutions of democracy and there were a number of futile attempts to remove Díaz from the presidency through the electoral process.  Reform leader Francisco I. Madero’s called for an uprising on November 20, 1910 and marked the beginning of the Mexican Revolution, a pivotal history chapter of the last century.

What came after was over a decade of civil conflict based on agrarian reform that would later inspire the Bolshevik revolution, civil wars in Central America, and others for the rest of the century.

The images of the Mexican Revolution were captured by the daily El Imparcial photojournalist Agustín V. Casasola (1874 – 1938).  At the  time it was the most widely read newspaper in México.  Casasola’s lens captured vivid images of the Mexican Revolution, portraying the heat of battle, life and death struggles, and the determination in the eyes of the revolutionary troops and their families. 

It also portrays the horrors of political assassinations, anguished expressions of men and boys in arms, as well as the “soldaderas” – the women who accompanied them.

Images of the Revolución is on exhibit for the months of May and June.  The exhibit is a 25-piece partial photo collection of 100, owned by Gilberto V. and Minerva T. Martínez. The Casasola collection is a pictorial testament of México in transition during a period of socio-political reform.  It will be on the campus of Michigan State University in the Multicultural Center, located in the lower level of the MSU Union Building. The Union Building is located on the corner of Grand River and Abbot Entrance in East Lansing. Visit: www.spartanpartners.msu.edu/multicultural-center

The exhibit is open to the general public during the month of May and is sponsored by Culturas de las Razas Unidas, Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions, Julian Samora Research Institute, Chicano Latino Studies Program, and CAMP/HEP.

An opening reception will be held on Thursday April 30, 2009, at 5:30 PM in the Multicultural Center Lower level of the MSU Union Building.