Ajijic Revolution Day Parade November 20th 2016

The Mexican Revolution started on November 20th 1910 and lasted for ten years. When the Mexican Constitution was enacted in 1917, that was close to the end of armed conflict. Porfirio Diaz had been president of Mexico for 35 years and he had a stranglehold on the country. He was ousted from power and exiled in France in 1911.

The children loved being in the parade. Many schools were represented and also soccer teams. I like the above photo because the young people seem so happy together. They were not afraid of expressing affection towards each other.

The marching has come to a standstill in the above photo but that happens often in parades. Lots of marching and lots of standing around waiting for the parade to move forward. Above are some of the soccer teams.

More Marching This group was on the move and they had lots of interesting moves with their pom poms. It is fun to see the pride in the faces of the children as they passed by.

Then the counter revolutionary regime with General Victoriano Huerta came to power, backed by American business men. He was in power from Feb 1913 to July 1914 and was then forced out. Then Mexico plunged into civil war all over the country. For awhile in Mexico, to be elected president almost meant a death sentence, so many presidents were     Assassinated.

Back to a little bit more history. In 1911 Francisco Madero challenged Porfirio Diaz in the election and Madero was elected president. Unfortunately by 1913 Madero and his Vice President Pino Suarez were forced to resign and then assassinated. I have never seen a parade without beauty queens and here they are in the photo above and below.

Back to the history. There was armed conflict that lasted until around 1920. Out of Mexico’s population of 15 million people, approximately 1.5 million were killed and 200,000 fled abroad, especially to the USA.

The Mexican constitution of 1917 is seen as the end point of much of the armed conflict. This revolution is considered the most important sociopolitical event in Mexico and one of the greatest upheavals of the 20th century.

The extremely wealthy people had taken advantage of the poor for too many years under the presidency of Porfirio Diaz. Everything he did was to gain power and control for himself and his wealthy friends. Including his USA businessmen friends.

Everyone was involved in the fighting, including women with babies strapped on their backs and even children.

I don’t know the meaning of the paper mache bull or cow. I can’t tell which. But the boy was having fun carrying it around.

So here come the revolutionary little girls riding their toy horses. I love their beautiful dresses.

Next come the little boys riding their wooden horses.

The boys were having a lot of fun playing their toy instruments.

In the photo above are the Escaramuza riders. These are young women who dress in beautiful skirts and ride in formations directly towards each other. It is exciting to watch and somewhat dangerous.

What would a parade be without the bands? And here comes one now.

I always enjoy seeing the men on horses carrying the Mexican flags. I loved seeing the pride in both the men and the horses.

The above photo is of one of the Escaramuza riders. Maybe she is the leader of a group because her dress was different from all the others. Much more elaborate.

Above is another photo of the Escaramuza riders. What beautiful horses they were riding, almost as beautiful as the women.

It was fun to see the young girls wearing their long skirts.  It was a beautiful day. Perfect for a parade. If you are ever around Ajijic on November 20th, be sure to stop and watch the parade.