Lauro Aguirre
Encyclopedia
Lauro Aguirre was an engineer and journalist who was active during events that foreshadowed the Mexican Revolution.
and Sonora
. He married in 1891.
where he published a newspaper entitled El Independiente (The Independent). This drew the attention of United States federal authorities who endeavored to maintain U.S. neutrality in Mexican affairs by monitoring the activities of Mexican rebels who resided north of the international border. In 1895, Aguirre participated in protests against the government of Porfirio Díaz
.
On 5 February 1896 Aguirre published a call for rebellion against the government of Mexico. The next month the United States government arrested Aguirre and another journalist, Flores Chapa, because the Mexican consul accused them of conspiring to reenter Mexico and engage in revolutionary actions. Aguirre and Chapa were acquitted in U.S. federal court after the U.S. consul's investigation concluded that they had only engaged in legitimate newspaper publishing.
In July 1896 a conflict arose along the US-Mexican border known as the Yaqui Uprising
, which was associated with a popular leader named Teresa Urrea
. Mexican government documents from the period connect Lauro Aguirre to Urrea and other revolutionaries. Aguirre worked with Urrea to organize raids against Mexican customs offices.
to request protection as a political refugee, after having heard a rumor that the Díaz government planned to kidnap him. The previous year, the mayor of Ciudad Juárez
had complained to United States authorities about subversive activities by Aguirre associated with his newspaper, which had been renamed El Progresista. The U.S. consul charged with investigating Aguirre's complaint found no evidence of a kidnapping plot.
Afterward Aguirre launched another newspaper, La Reforma Social, and joined the Partido Liberal Mexicano (PLM), which was the most extreme of the anti-Díaz organizations. Aguirre became president of the El Paso PLM branch and organized an attempted takeover of Ciudad Juárez. Their plans failed because Díaz government agents infiltrated the PLM. Enrique C. Creel, the governor of Chihuahua, attempted to get Aguirre extradited in 1906 by framing him for murder and having Mexican officials present forged evidence to American officials. Aguirre was arrested and jailed in the United States for forty days before evidence of his innocence prompted his release.
Aguirre continued to publish about Mexican politics with another newspaper, El Precursor. He retired in 1913.
Early life
Lauro Aguirre was originally from Batosegachi, Chihuahua. He trained as a civil engineer and spent his early career as a surveyor in VeracruzVeracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
and Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
. He married in 1891.
Journalism
By 1892 he had moved to El Paso, TexasEl Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
where he published a newspaper entitled El Independiente (The Independent). This drew the attention of United States federal authorities who endeavored to maintain U.S. neutrality in Mexican affairs by monitoring the activities of Mexican rebels who resided north of the international border. In 1895, Aguirre participated in protests against the government of Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
.
On 5 February 1896 Aguirre published a call for rebellion against the government of Mexico. The next month the United States government arrested Aguirre and another journalist, Flores Chapa, because the Mexican consul accused them of conspiring to reenter Mexico and engage in revolutionary actions. Aguirre and Chapa were acquitted in U.S. federal court after the U.S. consul's investigation concluded that they had only engaged in legitimate newspaper publishing.
In July 1896 a conflict arose along the US-Mexican border known as the Yaqui Uprising
Yaqui Uprising
The Yaqui Uprising, or the Nogales Uprising, was an armed conflict that took place in the Mexican state of Sonora and the American state of Arizona. In February of 1896 the Mexican revolutionary Lauro Aguirre drafted a plan to overthrow the government of President Porfirio Diaz...
, which was associated with a popular leader named Teresa Urrea
Teresa Urrea
Teresa Urrea, or Santa Teresa, was a Mexican mystic, folk healer, and revolutionary insurgent.-Early life:...
. Mexican government documents from the period connect Lauro Aguirre to Urrea and other revolutionaries. Aguirre worked with Urrea to organize raids against Mexican customs offices.
Revolutionary activities
In 1902 Aguirre wrote to President Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
to request protection as a political refugee, after having heard a rumor that the Díaz government planned to kidnap him. The previous year, the mayor of Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
had complained to United States authorities about subversive activities by Aguirre associated with his newspaper, which had been renamed El Progresista. The U.S. consul charged with investigating Aguirre's complaint found no evidence of a kidnapping plot.
Afterward Aguirre launched another newspaper, La Reforma Social, and joined the Partido Liberal Mexicano (PLM), which was the most extreme of the anti-Díaz organizations. Aguirre became president of the El Paso PLM branch and organized an attempted takeover of Ciudad Juárez. Their plans failed because Díaz government agents infiltrated the PLM. Enrique C. Creel, the governor of Chihuahua, attempted to get Aguirre extradited in 1906 by framing him for murder and having Mexican officials present forged evidence to American officials. Aguirre was arrested and jailed in the United States for forty days before evidence of his innocence prompted his release.
Aguirre continued to publish about Mexican politics with another newspaper, El Precursor. He retired in 1913.