Porfirio Díaz Under the Foreign Eye: The Representation of the President and his Government Years by American and British Writers (1901-1911)

Abstract

Porfirio Díaz became the constitutional President of the Republic of Mexico after winning the 1876 election, remaining in office until 1911, at which time he resigned and went into exile in France, where he resided until his death in 1915. The period corresponding to his years of government is known as the “Porfiriato”. There is ample historiography on “Porfiriato”, from the period contemporary with Diaz’s presidency up until the present time. The aim of this paper is to discuss the depiction of Don Porfirio and his presidential regime by foreign writers contemporary with his government (XIX-XX centuries). Just as many Mexicans have written about the age in which they lived, many foreigners also took a stand on the events in Mexico. The works herein analyzed are: Mexico as I saw it (1901) by Mrs. Alec Tweedie, Barbarous Mexico (1911) by John Kenneth Turner, and Diaz, Master of Mexico (1911) by James Creelman.