Title: Children on railroad tracks, Source: Box 1, Disk 6, SEAA Mexican Lantern Slide Collection 66, #MX06-0375, Publisher, The Latin American Library

The end of caudillismo introduced a new thriving political system within Latin American countries, the era of liberalism. Latin America was entering a new phase of political ideologies, which diminished the government order of militarism. Caudallismo was associated with traditional views, supporting the church, and was led by militant political leaders. Liberalism political views wanted to move past caudillismo by using its domestic resources in order to modernize and be considered a serious nation able to trade with other European nations. The goal of Latin American countries is to become allies with westernized countries and be recognized as countries with technological, scientific, and culturally advanced. In the image above, we can see the advancements being made in the region of Mexico.  Under Porfirio Diaz, Mexico introduced railroads to increase its economy and adopt modernization from western countries. 

Porfirio Diaz is a controversial political figure because of his dictating reign. Different controversial decisions made him beloved by some and hated by others. Diaz discriminated against indigenous groups referring to them as inferior and stating that the only way they could improve was to attend “La Casa del Estudiante Indigena,” a school meant to teach them how to be westernized (Dawson 111). Liberalism meant progress in modernization but discriminated against the groups of people that did not want to accept advancement. Photography captured these scenes as it became a popular method of recording data because it was also seen as another form of advancement exposing racial, criminal, and poverty issues (Dawson 108). 

Mexico needed the support of the United States to be seen as a country that could be taken seriously. The statistics portrayed a narrative of how much the GDP has increased due to the construction of not only railroads but also canals and roads (Dawson 107).  Diaz not only wanted to seem reliable in the eyes of the United States but also show a nationalistic prowess on how much the nation was improving artistically and scientifically (Dawson 110). Pearson Magazine released an article named “ Porfirio Diaz, Hero of the Americas,” describing his accomplishments and perspectives on the future of Mexico. The article has a biased interpretation to portray him as a hero but still informs the reader of the management of the railways. To attract U.S citizens to travel and create new tourism opportunities, they provide lower prices for first and second-class seats (Dawson 121). With new tourists visiting the area, they can create opportunities by recommending others to visit and proving to the United States that they are a serious partner.  Under Porfirio Diaz, it accumulated that the railroad was about 19 thousand miles managed by Americans working as managers, engineers, and contractors (Dawson 120). The government controlled the railroads and did not let private companies intervene; instead, they “merged into one corporation” to prevent oppression (Dawson 120). This can be controversial because it would give power to the government, creating an internal monopoly and leading to corruption. The progression of railroads helped expand the economy of Mexico, making it a legitimate potential ally for westernizing countries, but it sacrificed the expense of liberty amongst the indigenous people. 

Work Cited

Dawson, A. (2022). Latin America since Independence: A History with Primary Sources (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://doi-org.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/10.4324/9781003146094