Ricardo Flores Magón
Ricardo Flores Magón was a prominent Mexican journalist and revolutionary activist, born in a poor family in Oaxaca in the late 19th century. He pursued his education in Mexico City, eventually studying law, but left school to oppose the increasingly repressive regime of President Porfirio Díaz. Together with his brothers, he became involved in journalism, publishing critical works such as "Regeneración," which led to repeated arrests and government censorship. Despite facing continuous persecution, including imprisonment and exile, Flores Magón remained a vocal advocate for the rights of the poor and called for agrarian reforms. His radical ideas were influential in shaping the discourse surrounding the Mexican Revolution, although he was not directly involved in the conflict due to his exile. After his death in 1922, Flores Magón's legacy continued to resonate, particularly among revolutionary figures like Emiliano Zapata and movements such as the Zapatista uprising. His remains were later honored in Mexico City's Rotunda of Illustrious Men, reflecting his lasting impact on Mexican society and politics.
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Subject Terms
Ricardo Flores Magón
Mexican-born activist, journalist, and politician
- Born: September 16, 1874
- Birthplace: San Antonio Eloxochitlán, Oaxaca, Mexico
- Died: November 21, 1922
- Place of death: Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
Flores Magón was a rabble-rousing journalist and dramatist with strong anarchist leanings. Despite constant persecution and frequent imprisonment, he founded the Mexican Liberal Party and a newspaper highly critical of Mexican president-dictator Porfirio Díaz. His eloquence, principles, and courage helped inspire the Mexican Revolution.
Early Life
Cipriano Ricardo Flores Magón (SIHP-ree-AH-noh rih-CAR-doh FLOH-rehs mah-GOHN) was born into a poor family in a village in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. He was the son of an Indian, Teodoro Flores, and a mestiza (a woman of mixed European and Indian ancestry), Margarita Magón. Seeking better opportunities for their children, Teodoro and Margarita moved their family to Mexico City in the late 1870’s. In the capital, Flores Magón enrolled in the national high school system and graduated from a national preparatory school. In 1893, he entered the National School of Jurisprudence to study law but dropped out after three years without obtaining a degree in order to campaign against the Mexican government.
Flores Magón and his brothers, Enrique and Jesús, had grown up during the rule of Porfirio Díaz, who served as president of Mexico from 1877 to 1880 and from 1884 to 1911. A military hero of the War of Reform, Díaz had been a popular leader early in his tenure who made sweeping social and political reforms as Mexico enjoyed a period of stability, economic growth, and modernization. However, late in his presidency, he became an increasingly repressive dictator, ruthlessly stifling dissent and imprisoning political rivals. Flores Magón, who was well-read in revolutionary and anarchist literature and philosophy, was first arrested as a teenager for speaking out politically. He grew determined to help improve the lot of his fellow citizens, particularly the poor, which he felt could be best accomplished by deposing Díaz.
Life’s Work
After leaving law school, Flores Magón, now living with common-law wife Maria Talavera, worked as a journalist at El demócrata, a newspaper opposed to the Díaz regime. The government periodically shut down the paper and had the publisher and writers arrested. In 1900, Flores Magón and Jesús began publishing Regeneración, an antigovernment publication of the Mexican Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Mexicano or PLM), which the brothers helped found. Authorities soon closed down the operation, seized the printing equipment, and arrested Flores Magón and Jesús for defamation. The brothers were imprisoned until 1902, when they were released without trial. Flores Magón and Enrique attached themselves to another newspaper, El hijo del ahuizóte, to continue the fight against Díaz. This paper was likewise forcibly discontinued, and Flores Magón and Enrique were imprisoned again. Flores Magón became further radicalized and driven towards revolution. Fearing reprisals for their activities, the brothers fled to Texas, where they continued publishing Regeneración.
After several assassination and kidnapping attempts, Flores Magón and Enrique moved newspaper operations to St. Louis, Missouri. Local police, in league with Mexican officials, arrested them for defamation. After their release, the brothers moved to Canada but could not escape persecution. Flores Magón in 1906 secretly moved to El Paso, Texas, where he instigated labor strikes. In 1907, with a price on his head, he relocated to California, where he began a new publication, Revolución, which overtly called for the overthrow of Díaz. He was arrested for violating United States neutrality laws. He was tried, convicted, and sentenced to a federal penitentiary in Arizona.
Released in 1910, Flores Magón returned to Los Angeles and resurrected Regeneración. After Díaz was toppled in 1911, Flores Magón and Enrique were arrested and again charged with violating neutrality laws. Convicted in 1912, the brothers were sentenced to two years in federal prison. Upon release, they returned to California and resumed publishing their newspaper. In 1916, they were arrested for violating mail laws and once again landed in jail. In 1918, Flores Magón was arrested for sedition and received a twenty-year sentence. He died under mysterious circumstances in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1922.
Significance
Flores Magón’s contribution to the Mexican Revolution is incalculable. The Mexican Liberal Party, plagued by organizational problems, did not achieve its goal of agrarian reform. As an exile, Flores Magón did not participate directly in the revolution, and the anarchist message printed in his newspapers did not reach the intended audience of Mexican peasants, many of whom could not read. However, Flores Magón and his party constantly expressed dissatisfaction with the Díaz government that eventually resulted in its downfall, and some of his suggestions for reform later were adopted. His consistent, impassioned voice in calling for improvements in the lives of the Mexican poor—in articles, letters and two plays—was acknowledged after his death. In 1945, his remains were placed in Mexico City’s Rotunda of Illustrious Men. Revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata and the contemporary Zapatista movement in Mexico adopted many of Flores Magón’s ideas and principles.
Bibliography
Albro, Ward S. Always a Rebel: Ricardo Flores Magón and the Mexican Revolution. Fort Worth: Texas Christian University Press, 2003. A biography of Flores Magón, focusing on his progress from activist to radical to anarchist, set against the backdrop of events leading up to the revolution and afterward.
Bufe, Chaz, and Mitchell Cowen Verter, eds. Dreams of Freedom: A Ricardo Flores Magón Reader. Oakland, Calif.: AK Press, 2005. This work provides a biographical overview of Flores Magón’s life and a selection of his most important writings: articles, analyses of famous anarchists, letters, and excerpts from his plays. Contains a time line of events, maps, photographs, and bibliography.
Romo, David Dorado. Ringside Seat to a Revolution: An Underground Cultural History of El Paso and Juarez, 1893-1923. El Paso, Tex.: Cinco Puntos Press, 2005. An interesting, detailed look—complete with photographs—at the border towns that were hotbeds of radical activity before, during, and after the Mexican Revolution.