La Cruz Blanca facts for kids
La Cruz Blanca Neutral (which means The Neutral White Cross) was a special group of volunteers. They set up hospitals and provided help during the Mexican Revolution. Their main goal was to care for people who were hurt in the fighting.
The well-known Red Cross organization at the time refused to help the rebel fighters. Because of this, the Neutral White Cross was created to treat all wounded people, no matter which side they were on. After starting successfully in Ciudad Juárez, the group grew. It spread across 25 states in Mexico during the war.
The organization continued to receive some government support into the 1940s. Then, it changed its focus to helping children. Today, the Neutral White Cross is still active in Mexico City.
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How the Neutral White Cross Started
The Neutral White Cross was founded by a brave woman named Elena Arizmendi Mejia in 1911. She was studying to be a nurse in San Antonio, Texas, when the Mexican Revolution began.
Elena knew Francisco I. Madero, a family friend who was challenging the president, Porfirio Díaz. Madero had been jailed but escaped to Texas. Elena heard news about the war and how many people were getting hurt. She also learned that the Red Cross would not treat the revolutionaries.
This made Elena decide to act. On April 17, 1911, she traveled back to Mexico City. She met with the head of the Red Cross. When he confirmed they wouldn't help the rebels, Elena decided to start her own group. She wanted an organization that would treat all her fellow Mexicans.
Elena and her brother, Carlos, gathered medical students and nurses. They formed their group following the rules of the Geneva Conventions, which are international agreements about helping wounded soldiers. Elena became the main fundraiser. She got help from famous people like María Conesa and Virginia Fábregas.
After many fundraising events, they collected enough money for a field hospital. On May 11, 1911, the first group, called a brigade, left for Ciudad Juárez. Elena, Carlos, and several doctors and nurses were in this first brigade. More brigades with doctors and nurses followed in the next few days. When they arrived in Juárez, they found a lot of damage and many injured people. Elena had to quickly find more money to help.
Helping in Ciudad Juárez
When the brigades arrived in Ciudad Juárez, they quickly got to work. They used buildings and supplies from the rebels, including the Hospital de Jesús and Hospital Juárez. American doctors from nearby El Paso, Texas, also set up a hospital called the Hospital Insurrecto (Insurgent's Hospital) near the border.
The city was badly damaged, and there were so many wounded people. This meant they needed even more supplies. Elena Arizmendi had to ask for more donations to keep helping everyone.
A doctor named Laglera opened Hospital Libertad (Liberty Hospital). This hospital treated wounded people and those with typhus, a serious illness. Many nurses helped him, including the Vélez sisters. Nurses from the first brigade formed a special team for surgeries. In total, twenty nurses worked in Ciudad Juárez. They worked tirelessly to care for the many injured people.
Other nurses traveled with Madero's group. Some nurses even made house calls to people who couldn't go to the hospitals. This shows how dedicated everyone was to helping.
Growing Across Mexico
On June 7, 1911, a huge earthquake hit Mexico. Members of the White Cross quickly went to Iguala, Guerrero, where the earthquake was strongest, to offer help. By the end of 1911, the Neutral White Cross had grown a lot. They had set up 25 brigades all over Mexico.
Elena Arizmendi was offered a special honor. She was asked to become the first woman partner of the Sociedad Mexicana de Geografía y Estadística, a respected Mexican society. However, she turned down this honor. She did accept a gold medal from the Gran Liga Obrera (Grand League of Obrera) for her dedication to helping the wounded.
Later, in 1912, the International Red Cross in Switzerland gave Silver Medals to the nurses who had worked with the White Cross in different states.
In 1913, some disagreements started within the organization. Some male doctors didn't want to take orders from a woman like Elena. This caused a split in the group. Elena decided to leave and moved to New York City.
Another important brigade was started by Leonor Villegas de Magnón in 1913. Her group helped soldiers on both sides of the Texas-Mexican border near Laredo, Texas. This close-knit group of women and American doctors treated the wounded in Magnón's home. Her home had already been used as a kindergarten classroom.
Leonor Villegas de Magnón believed it was very important to save Latino history. She even had a special photographer, Esuebio Montoya, for the Cruz Blanca. She made sure that no one sold the photos or negatives. To further preserve the history of the Cruz Blanca, Magnón wrote a book called The Rebel. This book told the story of the Cruz Blanca's activities. Sadly, her book was not published during her lifetime. It was finally published in 1994 by Arte Publico Press, thanks to her granddaughter.
The Neutral White Cross Today
In 1948, Elena Arizmendi changed what the White Cross focused on. This was partly because the government wasn't providing much support. Since 1942, the only money had come from a generous supporter named Rodulfo Brito Foucher.
The White Cross still exists today in Coyoacán, a neighborhood in Mexico City. The organization is now dedicated to helping children who have severe problems with malnutrition. They work to care for and help these children get better.
See also
In Spanish: Cruz Blanca Neutral para niños
- Jovita Idar
- Mexican Revolution
- María Arias Bernal
