Francisco Bulnes facts for kids

Francisco Bulnes (born October 4, 1847 – died September 22, 1924) was a smart Mexican man who worked as a scientist, journalist, and politician. He was part of a group called the Científicos, who were educated people who supported the strong rule of President Porfirio Díaz. Bulnes was also known for not agreeing with the Mexican Revolution.

About Francisco Bulnes

Francisco Bulnes was born in Mexico City in 1847. He went to the National Mining School. After that, he taught math at a famous school called the National Preparatory School. He also taught other sciences and economics.

Bulnes was a member of Mexico's Society of Geography and Statistics. This group allowed him to travel to Japan with other Mexican scientists. He started his political career while working on the Mexico City-Veracruz railway line. There, he met a politician named Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada. Bulnes became a senator in Mexico and served for a long time. As a senator, he helped create Mexico's first Bank Law and the Mining Code in 1880.

He really admired the way the British government worked. He also looked up to the progress made by both the United Kingdom and the United States. Bulnes strongly supported a way of thinking called "liberalism." In Mexico, liberals wanted to reduce the power of the Roman Catholic Church in politics and money matters. They believed that the Church's teachings, which focused on rewards after death, stopped people from improving their lives and held back the country's growth. Bulnes thought that Protestantism was "more suited to modern cultures."

His Ideas on Progress and People

In 1899, Bulnes published a book called El porvenir de las naciones Hispano-Americanas (which means The Future of the Hispanic-American Nations). This was after the Spanish-American War. In his book, Bulnes tried to explain why Mexico was not as developed as some other countries. He blamed it on a mix of old Spanish traditions and what he saw as weaknesses in the native people.

He used a new idea about nutrition to explain his views. He divided people into three groups: those who ate corn, those who ate wheat, and those who ate rice. After some calculations, which many people now disagree with, he decided that "the race of wheat is the only truly progressive one." He also claimed that "corn has been the eternal pacifier of America's native races and the reason they refused to become civilized." These ideas are now seen as incorrect and harmful.

Bulnes also criticized a past president, Benito Juárez. He said Juárez was "an unimportant local lawyer with no clear ideas until he met Ocampo in New Orleans." Other people, like Genero García and Justo Sierra, disagreed strongly with Bulnes's attack on Juárez.

Life During and After the Revolution

In 1910, the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920) began, and President Díaz's government fell apart. Bulnes left Mexico and lived in other countries like New Orleans and Havana. He came back to Mexico in 1921 after the fighting in the Revolution ended.

In 1920, Bulnes wrote a book defending President Díaz. He also wrote about how he thought U.S. President Woodrow Wilson played a wrong role in the Revolution.

Because Francisco Bulnes strongly defended the Díaz government and had very strong opinions on many topics, his reputation in Mexico has been mixed. Manuel Gamio, an archaeologist who studied the pyramids of Teotihuacán, called Bulnes a racist. Daniel Cosio Villegas, a famous historian, said Bulnes was "one of the most tricky and dishonest writers Mexico has ever had." However, some modern historians, like Charles A. Hale, find Bulnes's ideas interesting and helpful for their studies.

Works by Francisco Bulnes

• Sobre el hemisferio norte, once mil leguas. (About the Northern Hemisphere, Eleven Thousand Leagues). This book shares his travel experiences to Cuba, the United States, Japan, China, Vietnam, Egypt, and Europe (1875).
• El porvenir de las naciones latinoamericanas ante las recientes conquistas de Europa y Norteamérica. Estructura y evolución de un continente. (The Future of Latin American Nations in the Face of Recent Conquests by Europe and North America. Structure and Evolution of a Continent) (1899).
• El verdadero Juárez y la verdad sobre la intervención y el imperio. (The True Juárez and the Truth About the Intervention and the Empire) (1904).
• Las grandes mentiras de nuestra historia: la Nación y el Ejército en las guerras extranjeras. (The Great Lies of Our History: The Nation and the Army in Foreign Wars) (1904).
• Juárez y la revoluciones de Ayutla y de Reforma. (Juárez and the Revolutions of Ayutla and Reforma) (1906).
• The Whole Truth About Mexico: President Wilson's Responsibility. (New York: M. Bulnes Book Co., 1916).
• El verdadero Díaz y la Revolución. (The True Díaz and the Revolution) (1920).
• Los problemas de México. (The Problems of Mexico) (1926).

See also

In Spanish: Francisco Bulnes para niños