The Plan de San Diego: Tejano Rebellion, Mexican Intrigue

20. Later Careers

20Later Careers After the Plan de San Diego withered away, things did not go well for most of the main protagonists. The exception seems to have been Basilio Ramos. Unfortunately, we have only isolated glimpses of his later career. In 1917 he was connected with a customs brokerage firm in Nuevo Laredo. In 1919 he again worked for El Aguila petroleum company. Ramos was later elected as an alternate to the Tamaulipas legislature.1 General Pablo González, who oversaw Plan de San Diego activities in 1916, had, like a number of others, repeatedly changed his allegiance during his career. Originally a magonista, he later became a maderista and then a carrancista. As Carranza’s favorite general his career flourished, and by 1920 González developed presidential ambitions . Declaring his candidacy in January 1920, he aimed to succeed Carranza but faced competition from General Alvaro Obregón, who had also developed presidential ambitions. When Obregón and his associates overthrew Carranza under the banner of the Plan de Agua Prieta, González rebelled in Monterrey. He was captured, tried, and sentenced to death in July 1920. Provisional president Adolfo de la Huerta suspended the execution and González fled into exile in the Later Careers 225 United States, where he remained until 1940, when he was allowed to return to Mexico. He died in Monterrey in 1950.2 Regarding General Esteban Fierros, as of July 20, 1916, he was in Tampico . In November he was living in Mexico City, at number 191, 9th Mina Street. But he was sick in bed and broke. He complained that his friends, who owed him at least five hundred dollars, hadn’t replied to his requests or even come to visit him. He therefore appealed to General Pablo González for a loan of three hundred pesos, which he hoped to repay soon. He evidently recovered, for on November 22 he wrote to González a lengthy account of the problems with the Constitutionalist Railways.3 As of October 12, 1917, Fierros was under arrest at the Coahuila Hotel in Saltillo awaiting transfer to Mexico City to be tried for treason. He must have been cleared, for in December he was in Tampico.4 We have no further information about Fierros. As for General Emiliano Nafarrate, things did go well for him initially . When he was transferred away from Matamoros and replaced by General Alfredo Ricaut in a “bad cop, good cop” kind of proceeding to placate the Americans, Carranza not only promoted Nafarrate to general of brigade but assigned him to command the vital port of Tampico, through which passed most of Mexico’s oil exports. This indicates that Carranza rewarded Nafarrate lavishly for a job well done. Nafarrate was a delegate from Tamaulipas to the convention that produced the 1917 Constitution.5 On one occasion he resigned in a fit of pique because he’d introduced a proposition that the convention voted down. His resignation was not accepted, and he remained a delegate . On May 24, 1917, he married Luisa Espinoza in Mexico City.6 Nafarrate was of necessity deeply embroiled in the politics of Tamaulipas , and these politics were toxic. A bitter struggle for the governorship over a two-year period resulted in armed clashes, numerous deaths, two postponements, recurrent changes in the provisional governorship , an election in which both sides claimed victory and organized a government, the Carranza administration voiding the election, and finally a rebellion.7 226 Later Careers Carranza faced a difficult choice in 1917—which of two staunch supporters to endorse for constitutional governor of Tamaulipas. Carranza ’s choice was General César López de Lara, currently governor of the Federal District. His opponent was General Luis Caballero, who had distinguished himself as a Constitutionalist commander and was currently military governor of Tamaulipas. In the course of the campaign in 1917 their partisans engaged in frequent and bloody clashes. Carranza appointed General Alfredo Ricaut as acting governor.8 Given the murderous political climate, Ricaut postponed the election until February 3, 1918. When the election was held it was marked by violence , with both candidates claiming victory. Caballero appointed Nafarrate as provisional governor.9 Political passions reached the point that Caballero and López de Lara engaged in a shooting affray at Chapultepec castle, the official residence of the Mexican president; one of Caballero’s partisans was killed, and one of López de Lara...