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Conclusion
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c o n c l u s i o n In order to bring this work [economic progress] to crest, the two most important factors have been: peace and the wave of material progress which has brought to the world steam with its application to transportation and to industry. We have seen the very skillful methods [Díaz] has used to keep the peace, one of the principal ones being the construction of the great railroads, but these have served not only for keeping peace, but they have brought about a marvellous development of the riches of the Nation. francisco madero, The Presidential Succession of 1910 In the months prior to the centennial celebrations of Independence on September 16, 1910, a curious letter reached the desk of José Casarín, the secretary of the group in charge of organizing the festivities. The letter, from an unnamed official,1 first praised the peace that reigned, a phenomenon the writer attributed to the construction of railways that crisscrossed the Republic. He stated that these lines of communication contributed to the exploitation and development of the mining and agricultural sectors , the source of the country’s wealth. This material progress, according to the author, had firmly consolidated national unity. After his opening paragraph, the writer made no further mention of railways. In fact, the letter had nothing to do with railways whatsoever. Instead, the writer proposed a plan to purchase 10,000 pairs of pants for Mexico City’s Indians, who typically walked the streets wearing white muslin clothing (calzón blanco de manta) and sandals (guaraches). He lamented to Casarín that, despite the country’s success at becoming modern, traditional customs continued to exist that spoke poorly of the country ’s cultural advancements. This reality, he explained, result- conclusion 252 ed from the tumultuous nature of progress. He regretted that while Casarín’s committee had organized the centennial festivities to highlight the decency and good name of Mexico, the indigenous people’s custom of wearing what he regarded as “immoral ” clothing threatened to undermine this project. People wearing such clothing in a country that had reached civilization , he argued, would appear repugnant to the entire world.2 This letter serves as a telling example of how people continued to associate the railway with the regime’s civilizing mission. As Porfirians prepared to commemorate Independence—a monthlong celebration climaxing on September 14, 15, and 16—in a series of lavish parades, fireworks, gala dances, and building inaugurations , event organizers sought to clear Indians from the streets or at least make them appear to be civilized citizens according to the elite’s prescriptions. Only months before the first revolutionary armies confronted federal troops in Chihuahua, the celebration revealed the self-assuredness and confidence of government officials about the success of their mission. Yet, as the letter to Casarín confirmed, the regime’s civilizing project often proved shallow, focusing on the appearance of progress rather than offering substantial improvements that would alleviate poverty and injustice. It further revealed the tensions between the government’s modernizing program and the so-called traditional practices that continued in the final years of the regime . The author’s use of the railway to underscore the importance of his appeal suggests that he considered it the ultimate symbol of a civilizing society, an iconic image of modernity in sharp contrast to Indians wearing their traditional garb on the city streets. This minor episode then brings together several of the themes outlined in this book. This study has examined the interconnections of three issues : the symbolic power that the railway held for both supporters and opponents of the regime as well as elite and popular groups, the ways that this symbolic power manifested itself [44.222.249.19] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 10:14 GMT) conclusion 253 in cultural venues as people attempted to defend or deny the legitimacy of the government, and the ways that these cultural works revealed tensions in how various social groups understood the civilizing mission, a program intimately linked to the establishment of order and progress. It has examined particular moments of celebration and crisis when these subjects found expression in the words and works of politicians, reporters, writers , and artists. As demonstrated, the successful promotion of railway development spawned optimism among middle- and upper-class observers about the limitless possibilities of material progress. They often articulated this optimism in literature , art, and social commentaries that revealed...