Yaqui Uprising
Encyclopedia
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
. Aguirre's cause appealed to the local native Americans
, such as the Yaqui, who organized an expedition to capture the customs house in Nogales
, Sonora on August 12. During the battle that followed, several people were killed or wounded and the rebels were forced to retreat, ending the conflict after one encounter. It was also notable for being one of the final episodes of the American Indian Wars, due to the involvement of an American militia
, from the adjacent town of Nogales
, Arizona, and Buffalo Soldiers, who participated in an inconclusive pursuit of the hostiles.
Porfirio Diaz and his "anti-agrarian and anti-indigenous Mexican policies". Also, the Mexican Army
and the Yaquis had been fighting an almost constant war against each other for several decades prior to 1896. The wars forced many of the natives to flee north into the American state of Arizona where they settled around Tucson
and Phoenix
, occasionally recrossing the border to fight the Mexican soldiers. Diaz was known for censoring critics in the media, which created unrest amongst the civilian population of Mexico and in the United States. At the town of Solomonville
, in southern Arizona, the journalist
Lauro Aguirre and Flores Chapa established the anti-Diaz newspaper
"El Independiente" and on February 5, 1896, they wrote the "Plan Restaurador de Constitucion y Reformista". The plan claimed that Diaz had violated the Constitution of 1857 in multiple ways and was mistreating native Mexicans, particularly by deporting them to the Yucatan
. It also proposed free elections and the use of force to overthrow the Diaz regime. The Yaquis and the Pimas were long time enemies of Mexico so Aguirre had no trouble in recruiting local natives to help in the fight. In March of 1896, the United States government arrested Aguirre and Chapa, because the Mexican consul accused them of conspiring to reenter Mexico and engage in revolutionary actions, but both of the men were acquitted in federal court after the American consul's investigation concluded that they were innocent of any wrongdoing. However, the plan was signed by twenty-three people, including Aguirre, and one other man believed to be Tomas Urrea, the father of the revolutionary Teresa Urrea
. Because Tomas Urrea had close relations with many of the people involved in the uprising, Teresa Urrea was suspected of being the mastermind. There were at least seventy Yaquis, Pimas and Mexicans who participated in the raid. Many were employees of the Southern Pacific Railroad
. They called themselves "Teresasitas" and their goal was to "capture the arms, ammunition, and money in the Mexican custom-house at Nogales."
Nogales, Sonora, and Nogales, Arizona abut one another so on August 12, when the Teresasitas attacked, the Mexican consulate, Manuel Mascarena, requested aid from the Americans in or around Nogales, Arizona. A militia was hastily assembled on the Arizona side of the border and sent in to help rout the rebels during the battle and on the next day Brigadier General
Frank Wheaton
dispatched elements of the 24th Infantry. At least three men were killed in the fighting and several others were wounded but other sources claim that seven Mexicans died while the Teresasitas lost about the same amount. When the rebels retreated they were pursued by a posse
of Sonoran policemen. The police eventually caught up with the Teresasitas later that day and fought another skirmish which left the Mexican commander dead. On the ay after that, a large force of Mexican Army troops, under the command of Colonel
Emilio Kosterlitzky
, joined in the pursuit while two companies of the 24th Infantry conducted their own separate operations. Both of the pursuing parties failed to catch up with the rebels, a portion of whom dispersed to their homes in southern Arizona. After that there was no further conflict, the successful defense of Nogales was effective in suppressing the uprising. Aguirre continued to print and circulate news critical of the Diaz regime but in 1902 he was forced to leave his home in Mexico due the belief that Diaz was trying to kidnap him. Aguirre continued writing in the United States and he later attempted to take over the city of Ciudad Juarez
but this plot was foiled. On September 11, 1896, Teresa Urrea publicly denounced having had anything to do with the uprising, but Porfirio Diaz held her responsible so he pressured the American government into moving Urrea from El Paso
, Texas
to Clifton
, Arizona, away from the volatile border region.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of 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....
and the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. In February of 1896 the Mexican revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
Lauro Aguirre
Lauro Aguirre
Lauro Aguirre was an engineer and journalist who was active during events that foreshadowed the Mexican Revolution.-Early life:...
drafted a plan
Plans in Mexican History
In Mexican history, a plan was a declaration of principles announced in conjunction with a rebellion, usually armed, against the central government of the country . Mexican plans were often more formal than the pronunciamientos that were their equivalent elsewhere in Spanish America and Spain...
to overthrow the government of President
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
Porfirio Diaz
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...
. Aguirre's cause appealed to the local native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, such as the Yaqui, who organized an expedition to capture the customs house in Nogales
Nogales, Sonora
Heroica Nogales , more commonly known as Nogales, is a city and its surrounding municipality on the northern border of the Mexican State of Sonora. The municipality covers an area of 1,675 km², and borders to the north the city of Nogales, Arizona, United States, across the U.S.-Mexico border...
, Sonora on August 12. During the battle that followed, several people were killed or wounded and the rebels were forced to retreat, ending the conflict after one encounter. It was also notable for being one of the final episodes of the American Indian Wars, due to the involvement of an American militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, from the adjacent town of Nogales
Nogales, Arizona
Nogales is a city in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 21,017 at the 2010 census. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,833. The city is the county seat of Santa Cruz County....
, Arizona, and Buffalo Soldiers, who participated in an inconclusive pursuit of the hostiles.
Uprising
The conflict began as result of the dictatorDictator
A dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
Porfirio Diaz and his "anti-agrarian and anti-indigenous Mexican policies". Also, the Mexican Army
Mexican Army
The Mexican Army is the combined land and air branch and largest of the Mexican Military services; it also is known as the National Defense Army. It is famous for having been the first army to adopt and use an automatic rifle, , in 1899, and the first to issue automatic weapons as standard issue...
and the Yaquis had been fighting an almost constant war against each other for several decades prior to 1896. The wars forced many of the natives to flee north into the American state of Arizona where they settled around Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
and Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, occasionally recrossing the border to fight the Mexican soldiers. Diaz was known for censoring critics in the media, which created unrest amongst the civilian population of Mexico and in the United States. At the town of Solomonville
Solomonville, Arizona
Solomonville is a small unincorporated community in Graham County, Arizona, United States. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, in southern Arizona, the journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
Lauro Aguirre and Flores Chapa established the anti-Diaz newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
"El Independiente" and on February 5, 1896, they wrote the "Plan Restaurador de Constitucion y Reformista". The plan claimed that Diaz had violated the Constitution of 1857 in multiple ways and was mistreating native Mexicans, particularly by deporting them to the Yucatan
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
. It also proposed free elections and the use of force to overthrow the Diaz regime. The Yaquis and the Pimas were long time enemies of Mexico so Aguirre had no trouble in recruiting local natives to help in the fight. In March of 1896, the United States government arrested Aguirre and Chapa, because the Mexican consul accused them of conspiring to reenter Mexico and engage in revolutionary actions, but both of the men were acquitted in federal court after the American consul's investigation concluded that they were innocent of any wrongdoing. However, the plan was signed by twenty-three people, including Aguirre, and one other man believed to be Tomas Urrea, the father of the revolutionary Teresa Urrea
Teresa Urrea
Teresa Urrea, or Santa Teresa, was a Mexican mystic, folk healer, and revolutionary insurgent.-Early life:...
. Because Tomas Urrea had close relations with many of the people involved in the uprising, Teresa Urrea was suspected of being the mastermind. There were at least seventy Yaquis, Pimas and Mexicans who participated in the raid. Many were employees of the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
. They called themselves "Teresasitas" and their goal was to "capture the arms, ammunition, and money in the Mexican custom-house at Nogales."
Nogales, Sonora, and Nogales, Arizona abut one another so on August 12, when the Teresasitas attacked, the Mexican consulate, Manuel Mascarena, requested aid from the Americans in or around Nogales, Arizona. A militia was hastily assembled on the Arizona side of the border and sent in to help rout the rebels during the battle and on the next day Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Frank Wheaton
Frank Wheaton
Frank Wheaton was a career military officer in the United States Army during the American Civil War and Indian Wars.-Early life and career:...
dispatched elements of the 24th Infantry. At least three men were killed in the fighting and several others were wounded but other sources claim that seven Mexicans died while the Teresasitas lost about the same amount. When the rebels retreated they were pursued by a posse
Posse
Posse may refer to:* Posse comitatus , a group of men assembled to assist in law enforcement* Posse , starring Kirk Douglas* Posse , starring Mario van Peebles...
of Sonoran policemen. The police eventually caught up with the Teresasitas later that day and fought another skirmish which left the Mexican commander dead. On the ay after that, a large force of Mexican Army troops, under the command of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Emilio Kosterlitzky
Emilio Kosterlitzky
Emilio Kosterlitzky, also known as Emil Kosterlitzky, was a Russian-born polyglot linguist and soldier of fortune who eventually became a spy for the United States....
, joined in the pursuit while two companies of the 24th Infantry conducted their own separate operations. Both of the pursuing parties failed to catch up with the rebels, a portion of whom dispersed to their homes in southern Arizona. After that there was no further conflict, the successful defense of Nogales was effective in suppressing the uprising. Aguirre continued to print and circulate news critical of the Diaz regime but in 1902 he was forced to leave his home in Mexico due the belief that Diaz was trying to kidnap him. Aguirre continued writing in the United States and he later attempted to take over the city of Ciudad Juarez
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...
but this plot was foiled. On September 11, 1896, Teresa Urrea publicly denounced having had anything to do with the uprising, but Porfirio Diaz held her responsible so he pressured the American government into moving Urrea from El Paso
El 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...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to Clifton
Clifton, Arizona
Clifton is a town in and the county seat of Greenlee County, Arizona, United States, along the San Francisco River. The population of the town was 3,311 at the 2010 census. It was a site of the Arizona Copper Mine Strike of 1983....
, Arizona, away from the volatile border region.
See Also
- Yaqui WarsYaqui WarsThe Yaqui Wars, were a series of armed conflicts between New Spain, and the later Mexican republic, against the Yaqui native Americans. The period began in 1533 and lasted until 1929. The Yaqui Wars, along with the Caste War against the Maya, were the last conflicts of the centuries long Mexican...
- Garza RevolutionGarza RevolutionThe Garza Revolution, or the Garza War, was a armed conflict fought in the Mexican state of Coahuila and the American state of Texas between 1891 and 1893. It began when the revolutionary Catarino Garza launched a campaign into Mexico from Texas to start an uprising against the dictator Porfirio Diaz...
- Battle of NogalesBattle of NogalesThe First Battle of Nogales, was a military confrontation between federal Mexican forces and rebel Constitutionalists during the Mexican Revolution....
- Battle of Ambos NogalesBattle of Ambos NogalesThe Battle of Ambos Nogales , or the Third Battle of Nogales, was an engagement fought on August 27, 1918 between United States Army forces, stationed in Nogales, Arizona, and the Carrancista garrison of Nogales, Sonora...
- Crawford AffairCrawford AffairThe Crawford Affair was a battle fought between Mexico and the United States in January of 1886 during the Geronimo Campaign. Captain Emmet Crawford was commanding a company of Apache scouts, sixty miles southeast of Nacori Chico in Sonora, when his camp was attacked by Mexican Army militiamen...
- Crabb MassacreCrabb MassacreThe Crabb Massacre was the culmination of the eight day Battle of Caborca. It was fought between Mexico and their O'odham allies against American forces in April of 1857. Due to the outbreak of the Reform War in Mexico, the rebel Ygnacio Pesquiera invited the American politician Henry A...