Mexican Revolution Timeline

(1910 - 1920)

The Mexican Revolution was a major armed conflict that began in 1910 as a revolt against the long-standing dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz. Sparked by widespread inequality, land dispossession, and political repression, it involved iconic figures such as Francisco Madero, Emiliano Zapata, Pancho Villa, and Venustiano Carranza. The revolution transformed Mexico's political and social landscape, culminating in the 1917 Constitution, which introduced land reform, labor rights, and limits on church power. More Less

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Prelude and Causes

Díaz begins his long presidential rule

May 5, 1884

After a brief interlude under Manuel González, Díaz returned to the presidency in 1884 and would be continuously re-elected, suppressing opposition, controlling elections, and centralizing power while peasants lost communal lands to haciendas.

Image source: Porfiriato

Publication of Creelman interview

Mar 1, 1908

In an interview with journalist James Creelman for Pearson's Magazine, President Díaz stated he would not seek re-election in 1910 and would welcome opposition parties. This sparked intense political activity as reformers believed democratic change was finally possible.

Image source: James Creelman

Francisco I. Madero founds the Anti-Reelectionist Party

May 22, 1909

Coahuilan landowner Francisco I. Madero published 'The Presidential Succession of 1910' and founded the Anti-Reelectionist Party, campaigning against Díaz's endless re-elections on a platform of democracy and effective suffrage.

Image source: Francisco I. Madero

Díaz arrests Madero before the 1910 election

Jun 1, 1910

As Madero gained popular momentum, Díaz had him arrested on charges of sedition just before the June 1910 election. Held in San Luis Potosí, Madero was unable to campaign, and Díaz was declared the winner of another fraudulent contest.

Díaz claims fraudulent re-election victory

Jul 4, 1910

With Madero jailed and widespread ballot manipulation, Porfirio Díaz was announced as winner of the 1910 presidential election, igniting outrage across Mexico and convincing Madero that only armed uprising could end the dictatorship.

Image source: 1910 Mexican general election

Revolutionary Warfare

Madero escapes to Texas and issues the Plan de San Luis Potosí

Oct 5, 1910

Having escaped to San Antonio, Texas, Madero issued the Plan de San Luis Potosí, declaring the 1910 election void, naming himself provisional president, and calling Mexicans to rise in arms on November 20, 1910, promising land restitution to dispossessed peasants.

Image source: Plan of San Luis Potosí

Outbreak of armed rebellion across northern Mexico

Nov 20, 1910

The date called for by the Plan de San Luis Potosí saw uprisings in Puebla, Chihuahua, and other states. Though initially scattered, the rebellion grew rapidly as leaders like Pascual Orozco and Pancho Villa won early victories against federal forces.

Image source: Mexican Revolution

Battle of Ciudad Juárez

May 7, 1911 - May 10, 1911

Insurgent forces under Pascual Orozco and Pancho Villa captured the strategic border city of Ciudad Juárez after fierce fighting. The victory was a decisive blow that shattered federal morale and made the fall of the Díaz regime inevitable.

Image source: Battle of Ciudad Juárez (1911)

Emiliano Zapata launches the Plan de Ayala

Nov 28, 1911

Disillusioned by Madero's failure to deliver land reform, Emiliano Zapata denounced him in the Plan de Ayala, calling for the expropriation of large estates and return of lands to peasant communities. 'Tierra y Libertad' became the rallying cry of agrarian revolutionaries.

Image source: Plan of Ayala

Orozco rebellion breaks out in Chihuahua

Mar 3, 1912

Former ally Pascual Orozco rose against Madero over unmet demands and political slights, launching a major revolt in Chihuahua. Federal troops led by Victoriano Huerta eventually suppressed the rebellion by late 1912.

Image source: Pascual Orozco

Carranza issues the Plan de Guadalupe

Mar 26, 1913

Venustiano Carranza, governor of Coahuila, proclaimed the Plan de Guadalupe, refusing to recognize Huerta and calling for his overthrow. Carranza became First Chief of the Constitutionalist Army, drawing support from Obregón, Villa, and other commanders.

Image source: Plan of Guadalupe

U.S. occupation of Veracruz

Apr 21, 1914 - Nov 23, 1914

In response to the Tampico Affair, U.S. forces seized the port of Veracruz, intending to block German arms shipments to Huerta. The occupation inflamed Mexican nationalism and hastened diplomatic pressure that helped topple the dictator.

Image source: Battle of Veracruz (1914)

Battle of Zacatecas

Jun 23, 1914

Pancho Villa's División del Norte delivered a crushing defeat to Huerta's federal army at Zacatecas, killing or capturing thousands. The bloodiest battle of the revolution left Huerta's position untenable.

Image source: Battle of Zacatecas (1914)

Villa and Zapata occupy Mexico City

Nov 24, 1914

Forces of Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata entered Mexico City together, with photographs showing the two leaders side by side in the National Palace. Their alliance could not govern the country, however, and they withdrew within weeks.

Image source: Pancho Villa

Battle of Celaya: Obregón defeats Villa

Apr 6, 1915 - Apr 15, 1915

Alvaro Obregón's modern defensive warfare, using trenches, barbed wire, and machine guns, annihilated Villa's cavalry charges at Celaya. The decisive defeat broke the power of the División del Norte and secured Carranza's ascendancy.

Image source: Battle of Celaya

Villa raids Columbus, New Mexico

Mar 9, 1916

Enraged by U.S. recognition of Carranza, Pancho Villa attacked the border town of Columbus, New Mexico, killing civilians and soldiers. The raid prompted the United States to launch a punitive expedition into northern Mexico.

Image source: Battle of Columbus (1916)

Pershing's Punitive Expedition into Mexico

Mar 15, 1916 - Feb 7, 1917

General John J. Pershing led roughly 5,000 American troops deep into Chihuahua to capture Villa. The eleven-month expedition failed to catch him but tested Mexican sovereignty, nearly sparking war between the two nations.

Image source: Pancho Villa Expedition

Pershing's Punitive Expedition into Mexico

Political Struggles

Treaty of Ciudad Juárez forces Díaz to resign

May 21, 1911 - May 25, 1911

Under the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez, Porfirio Díaz agreed to resign and go into exile, with Francisco León de la Barra serving as interim president pending new elections. After 35 years in power, Díaz sailed from Veracruz into exile in Paris, where he died in 1915.

Image source: Treaty of Ciudad Juárez

Madero wins landslide presidential election

Oct 1, 1911

Francisco I. Madero won the October 1911 presidential election with overwhelming support and took office on November 6, becoming Mexico's first democratically elected leader in decades amid high hopes for reform.

Félix Díaz leads anti-government revolt in Veracruz

Oct 16, 1912

Nephew of the former dictator, Félix Díaz launched a rebellion at Veracruz demanding the restoration of old-regime privileges. The poorly supported uprising failed, but Díaz survived and remained a persistent threat to the Madero government.

Decena Trágica: Ten Tragic Days in Mexico City

Feb 9, 1913 - Feb 19, 1913

A coup attempt by Félix Díaz and generals loyal to the old regime plunged Mexico City into ten days of shelling and street fighting. Thousands of civilians died as rebels bombarded the city center, setting the stage for Madero's overthrow.

Image source: Ten Tragic Days

Pact of the Embassy and betrayal of Madero

Feb 18, 1913

General Victoriano Huerta secretly allied with Félix Díaz and U.S. Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson in the Pact of the Embassy. Huerta betrayed President Madero, arresting him along with Vice President Pino Suárez.

Assassination of Madero and Pino Suárez

Feb 22, 1913

While being transferred to prison, President Madero and Vice President José María Pino Suárez were assassinated on orders attributed to Huerta's regime. The murders outraged the nation and united revolutionary factions against the usurper.

Huerta establishes military dictatorship

Feb 26, 1913

Victoriano Huerta assumed the presidency, establishing a brutal military dictatorship backed by conservative elites. His regime relied on repression, press censorship, and forced conscription, earning international condemnation.

Image source: Victoriano Huerta

Resignation and exile of Victoriano Huerta

Jul 15, 1914

Facing military collapse and international pressure, Huerta resigned and fled into exile aboard a German ship. He later attempted to return via the U.S. border in 1915 but was arrested and died in an American prison in January 1916.

Convention of Aguascalientes convenes

Oct 1, 1914 - Nov 13, 1914

Revolutionary factions met at Aguascalientes to reconcile their differences and decide Mexico's future. The convention demanded Carranza's resignation, recognized Villista dominance, and deepened the split between Carrancistas and their former allies.

Image source: Convention of Aguascalientes

United States recognizes the Carranza government

Oct 19, 1915

The United States formally extended diplomatic recognition to Carranza's de facto government, dealing a severe blow to Villa and Zapata, who lost access to arms supplies and international legitimacy.

Image source: Venustiano Carranza

Zapata assassinated at Chinameca

Apr 10, 1919

Carranza's agents lured Emiliano Zapata into an ambush at Hacienda de Chinameca in Morelos, where he was shot dead. The death of the iconic agrarian leader marked the decline of the southern revolutionary movement.

Image source: Emiliano Zapata

Obregón rebels; Carranza flees and is assassinated

Apr 23, 1920 - May 21, 1920

When Carranza tried to impose a weak successor instead of Alvaro Obregón, Obregón launched the Agua Prieta revolt. Carranza fled toward Veracruz with the national treasury and was assassinated in a mountain village in Puebla on May 21, 1920.

Constitutional Reform

Promulgation of the Constitution of 1917

Feb 5, 1917

A constituent congress convened by Carranza produced a new constitution at Querétaro. It incorporated radical social guarantees: Article 27 asserted national control over land and subsoil resources, and Article 123 established labor rights including the eight-hour day. It remains the foundation of Mexican law today.

Image source: Constitution of Mexico

Adolfo de la Huerta becomes interim president

Jun 1, 1920 - Dec 1, 1920

Following Carranza's death, Adolfo de la Huerta served as interim president, overseeing demobilization and reconciliation. Notably, he negotiated peace with Emiliano Zapata's successors in Morelos, ending years of fighting in the south.

Image source: Adolfo de la Huerta

Obregón elected president, ending main phase of Revolution

Dec 1, 1920

Alvaro Obregón took office as president on December 1, 1920, marking the consolidation of the revolutionary state. Though sporadic revolts continued, historians generally consider this the end of the Revolution's principal military phase.

Image source: Álvaro Obregón

Key Facts

The revolution began in November 1910 when Francisco I. Madero called for an uprising against dictator Porfirio Díaz, who had ruled Mexico for over three decades.
Emiliano Zapata championed land reform in the south through his Plan de Ayala, demanding 'Tierra y Libertad' (Land and Liberty) for peasants.
Pancho Villa led powerful military campaigns in northern Mexico and became one of the revolution's most legendary figures.
The 1917 Constitution of Querétaro, drafted during the conflict, remains Mexico's governing document and included radical provisions on land reform, labor rights, and education.
An estimated 1 to 2 million people died during the revolution, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in Latin American history.

Source

This Mexican Revolution timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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