Ten Days of Revolt: February 1913

The map shows a step by step progression of the events of the Tragic Ten Days in Mexico City. Ten days of revolt that began on 9 February 1913; up until this point, the Mexican capital had largely escaped damage stemming from the Revolution. It culminated in the arrest and assassinations of President Francisco Madero and vice-president José María Pino Suárez. Click on the numbers to see the details of the important events that took place during the Tragic Ten Days.

Event 1 Event 2 Event 3 Event 4 Event 5 Event 6 Event 7 Event 8 Event 9 Event 10 Event 11 Event 12 Event 13 Event 13 Event 14 Event 15 Event 15 Event 16 Event 17 Event 18 Event 19 Event 20 Event 21 Event 22 Event 23 Event 24 Event 25

Event One

Day 1: Sunday, February 9, 1913

National Palace and Zócalo: The National Palace and the Zócalo are the site of the first battle of the Tragic Ten Days. Felix Diaz, released from Mexico City Prison at Los Arcos de Belem, marches to take the palace, but looses the battle. At first, the element of surprise was on Diaz’s side. He arrested Gustavo Madero, the president’s brother and main advisor, who was rescued by the intervention of General Lauro Villar -- the Military Commander of the Plaza (the Zócalo) -- and the 11th battalion. Aspirant troops lose the battle, with 232 soldiers captured and held prisoner in the cathedral for two days.

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Event Two

Day 1: Sunday, February 9, 1913

Streets of Mexico City, entrance into the Zócalo: The second battle of the Tragic Ten Days – another loss for the insurgents -- was led by Bernardo Reyes who marched from the Military Prison at Santiago Tlateloco accompanied by an army of 400 men from the 2nd and 5th artillery. The crossfire of the second battle lasted less than ten minutes, but killed 400 people and wounded another 1000, the majority of whom were civilians. Reyes was killed in the first few minutes of the battle while charging the National Palace on the back of a great white horse.

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Event Three

Day 1: Sunday, 9 February 1913

Statue of Carlos IV at the intersection of Avenida Benito Juárez and Paseo de la Reforma: Reyes’s death bought the rebel troops much needed time to retreat and regroup. The insurgent army met at the reunion point of the Carlos IV statue from which they marched south to the Ciudadela. The Ciudadela is an old fortress in the heart of the Historic District and was prepared for the rebels by Victoriano Huerta, who ensured that the walls were undermanned and the fortress was fit for provisioning the rebel army.

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Event Four

Day 1: Sunday, 9 February 1913

Daguerre Photo Shop: While the insurgents spent the morning freeing their leaders from prison, President Madero enjoyed the beauty of Chapultapec National Park from the walls of Chapultepec Castle. He returned to the National Palace in the city center for business that afternoon along Paseo de la Reforma and Avenida Benito Juárez. On his way, he heard the sounds of an altercation and ducked into a small photo shop on Avenida Juárez to avoid the fighting. Once the rebel troops withdrew from the Zócalo, Madero thought that the challenges to his presidency had ended. The president stepped out onto the 2nd story balcony to reassure his public of the stability of their presidency and received a standing ovation.

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Event Five

Day 1: Sunday, 9 February 1913

Executive Garden, National Palace, Mexico City: General Ruiz, a leader of the rebel troops, was captured during the first battle of the Zócalo. The general was executed along with fifteen rebel soldiers. At the same time, Madero named Huerta Military Commander of Plaza at the advice of Secretary of War García Peña because Villar was wounded in the crossfire.

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Event Six

Day 1: Sunday, 9 February 1913

U.S. Embassy Building, Mexico City: The American embassy became the center for Red Cross and White Cross relief for those wounded in the crossfire at the Zócalo. However, the American Ambassador Wilson named the embassy the “Center for Conspiracy” and decided to aid the rebels in fighting against the Madero presidency. That evening, the ambassador called for a meeting with the ambassadors from Spain, Germany and Great Britain to arrange a protest against the damages done to foreign investments in Mexico City. The ambassadors led by Wilson lodged a formal protest with the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs that night.

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Event Seven

Day 2: Monday, 10 February 1913

El Globo Pastry Shop: On the second day of the Tragic Ten Days, Díaz met with one of Huerta's commissioners in El Globo Pastry Shop in the center of Mexico City to discuss plans for the coup d'état. Upon hearing of this meeting, Madero was further inclined to replace Huerta, but due to the Cabinet's resistance, Huerta kept his position. That evening, Madero deployed troops along the side of the road throughout the Historic District to protect the federal government's position.

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Event Eight

Day 3: Tuesday, 11 February 1913

Enrique Cepeda’s house, Calle Nápoles, Colonia Roma, Mexico City: Ambassador Wilson, having cast his lot with the rebels against the Madero administration, decided that he wanted full access to and control over the rebellion. To that end, he agreed to sponsor the meetings between the various rebel leaders. Wilson met with Diaz and Huerta, at the house of a minor Embassy employee, as the two planned the next steps of the insurgency.

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Event Nine

Day 3: Tuesday, 11 February 1913

Calle Balderas: The rebels won the third battle of the Tragic Ten Days at Calle Balderas between the Ciudadela fortress and the YMCA building located just up the street. The outside troops brought to the city by Madero were slaughtered by machine guns mounted on the Ciudadela and the roof of the YMCA building.

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Event Ten

Day 4: Wednesday, 12 February 1913

6th District Police Headquarters: Early Wednesday morning, the 6th district police headquarters at the intersection of Calle Victoria and Calle Revillagigedo was held by rebel forces, but it was quickly captured by the federal troops. The federal forces continued to advance up to the Garden of Carlos Pacheco but they were forced to withdraw as a result of attacks by rebels along the Arches of Belen. From their position at the Arches, rebel troops continued on to Belem Prison, where five thousand inmates were released in the midst of the attacks. Although a large majority of prisoners were killed, the successful escapees joined the rebels in the Ciudadela.

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Event Eleven

Day 4: Wednesday, 12 February 1913

National Palace: Meanwhile, at the National Palace, Ambassador Wilson presented a complaint about the loss of American investments and property to Madero. He also requested a cease-fire, which Madero accepted. Following this exchange, Wilson along with the German, Spanish and British secretaries had a meeting with Díaz who were favorably impressed.

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Event Twelve

Day 5: Thursday, 13 February 1913

Church of Campo Florida: The following battle between the rebels and federal troops, an hour long with heavy casualties, was fought at Campo Florida. Although federal troops won the battle, it was a hollow victory because no territory was re-gained. The boundaries between the areas of the city in rebel or federal control remained the same as previous day. Worried, Madero brought in another 100 men and 2 million cartridges from Veracruz, stationed his men at the National Railroad Station to control the flow of goods and people in and out of the city, and declared the station the federal headquarters for attacks against Díaz and his new leading general: Mondragón.

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Event Thirteen

Day 6: Friday, 14 February 1913

National Palace and La Ciudadela: The federal government was seemingly strengthened by the arrival of General Blanquet with the 29th battalion from Toluca and the reports of General Rivera's impending arrival with nine hundred men from Oaxaca. At the National Palace, Madero conferred with de la Barra about negotiating peace with the rebels. De la Barra, upon arriving at the Ciudadela, learned that Díaz and Mondragón would not consider peace negotiations until Madero and Pino Suárez resigned.

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Event Fourteen

Day 6: Friday, 14 February 1913

U.S. Embassy: At the U.S. Embassy, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs Lascuráin had a meeting with Ambassador Wilson in which Wilson suggested, with the threat of U.S. intervention, that Lascuráin call the Senate and discuss Madero's resignation. A Senate meeting was then arranged in the home of Senator Camacho.

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Event Fifteen

Day 7: Saturday, 15 February 1913

National Palace and House of the Senate: Again attempting to control the outcome of the Revolution and force Madero out of office, Ambassador Wilson used the threat of American invasion to force the Mexican Senate to meet and demand Madero’s resignation. The Senate, in response, named committee headed by Lascuráin and Minister Cólogan (the ambassador from Spain) to demand Madero’s resignation. The president declined to resign because he did not believe foreigners should determine the course of Mexican domestic politics. However, noting the strength of Wilson’s influence over the Mexican legislature, Madero arranged a private meeting with the ambassador, offering a 24-hour cease fire to start at 2:00am and the relocation of U.S. nationals to the safety-zone of Tacubaya. Wilson refused Madero’s offer.

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Event Sixteen

Day 8: Sunday, 16 February 1913

Streets of Mexico City: On the eighth day of the Tragic Ten Days, violence continued in the streets and no significant diplomatic events occurred.

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Event Seventeen

Day 9: Monday, 17 February 1913

National Palace: The president’s brother Gustavo Madero arrested and imprisoned Victoriano Huerta based on eyewitness reports of a trusted soldier who brought evidence of Huerta’s meeting with Díaz and the American ambassador. Though Gustavo tried to convince his brother that Huerta was untrustworthy, the president released Huerta and restored the general to full military duty as the leading protector of the National Palace and the presidency.

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Event Eighteen

Day 10: Tuesday, 18 February 1913

Office of General Huerta, National Palace: Several senators and the President of the Supreme Court, Francisco Carbajal, approached Madero, in the office of General Huerta at the National Palace, to suggest that he resign as president. In response to their suggestion, Madero passionately refused and defended himself with the fact that he had been elected democratically.

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Event Nineteen

Day 10: Tuesday, 18 February 1913

Gambrinus Restaurant: Later in the day at the Gambrinus Restaurant, Colonel Teodoro Jiménez Riveroll falsely announced to Madero that General Rivera and his nine hundred rebels had arrived. In the ensuing chaos, Jiménez Riveroll attempted to arrest Madero on the orders of Blanquet and Huerta, but was fatally shot in a round of gunfire from federal forces. Blanquet, however, managed to capture Madero, Gustavo Madero and General Felipe Angeles.

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Event Twenty

Day 10: Tuesday, 18 February 1913

U.S. Embassy: Huerta quickly declared himself the new president of Mexico in a telegram to U.S. President Taft in Washingon, DC. At the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, Wilson met with Huerta and Díaz to create the “Pact of the Ciudadela” (“Pact of the Embassy”), which stated that Huerta would be interim president until Díaz could be democratically elected.

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Event Twenty-One

Wednesday, 19 February 1913

Ciudadela: General Mondragón sentenced Gustavo Madero to death. The president’s brother was ripped to pieces by a mob of more than 100 individuals and shot multiple times from all sides. At this same time, Adolfo Bassó was executed in front of the Ciudadela on the pretext that as Superintendant of the National Palace he was responsible for the deaths of the rebels killed at Zócalo on 9 February. The deaths were purposefully hidden from President Madero, held prisoner in the National Palace, as Huerta was still negotiating for the president’s resignation.

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Event Twenty-Two

Wednesday, 19 February, 1913

Intendancy of the National Palace: After much negotiation and compromise with acting president Lascuráin, Madero grudgingly signed his resignation, adding four stipulations: 1. Constitutional order of the states be respected and existing governors remain in their posts; 2. Friends and supporters of Madero not be molested due to their political beliefs; 3. Madero his family, and generals be taken to Veracruz where they could leave unmolested for exile; and 4. Secretaries of Japan and Chile would accompany the prisoners to Veracruz to make sure nothing happened to them. That night, Lascuráin submitted Madero’s resignation to the Chamber of Deputies and resigned as interim president, appointing Huerta as Minister of Government.

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Event Twenty-Three

Thursday, 20 February 1913

U.S. Embassy: American Ambassador Wilson called the diplomatic corps together to recognize the legitimacy of the new Huerta government.

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Event Twenty-Four

Saturday, 22 February 1913

Alleyway behind the Penitentiary of the Federal District: Major Francisco Cardenas and Lieutenant Rafael Pimienta were put in charge of the transfer of President Madero, Vice President Pino Suárez and General Angeles to the Penitentiary of the Federal District. Colonel Luis Ballesteros was placed in command of the prison and ordered to stage an attack on the president’s transfer before Madero reached the jail. Thus, when Cardenas and Pimienta arrived at the front door with their charges, they were ordered to drive around to the back, where Madero and Pino Suárez were both shot in the head. The cars were then shot to mimic the look of an attack; however, autopsies on the president and vice-president showed that the prisoners were dead before the “attack” began.

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Event Twenty-Five

Monday, 24 February 1913

French Cemetery, Mexico City: Madero’s remains were given to his family and the former president was buried in the French Cemetery.

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