The period following Mexico's war with the United States in 1847
was characterized by violent conflicts, as liberal and conservative
factions battled for control of the national government. The civil
strife was particularly bloody in south central Mexico, including
the southern state of Oaxaca. In
Sons of the Sierra, Patrick
McNamara explores events in the Oaxaca district of Ixtlan, where
Zapotec Indians supported the liberal cause and sought to exercise
influence over statewide and national politics.
Two Mexican presidents had direct ties to Ixtlan district: Benito
Juarez, who served as Mexico's liberal president from 1858 to 1872,
was born in the district, and Porfirio Diaz, president from 1876 to
1911, had led a National Guard battalion made up of Zapotec
soldiers throughout the years of civil war. Paying close attention
to the Zapotec people as they achieved greater influence, McNamara
examines the political culture of Diaz's presidency and explores
how Diaz, who became increasingly dictatorial over the course of
his time in office, managed to stay in power for thirty-five years.
McNamara reveals the weight of memory and storytelling as Ixtlan
veterans and their families reminded government officials of their
ties to both Juarez and Diaz. While Juarez remained a hero in their
minds, Diaz came to represent the arrogance of Mexico City and the
illegitimacy of the "Porfiriato" that ended with the 1910
revolution.