Plan of Agua Prieta facts for kids
The Plan of Agua Prieta was a special document, or "plan," created in Mexico in 1920. It explained why a group of powerful generals decided to rebel against the government of President Venustiano Carranza. These generals were Álvaro Obregón, Plutarco Elías Calles, and Adolfo de la Huerta. They were all from the state of Sonora and were often called the "Sonoran Triumvirate" because they worked closely together. Obregón announced the plan on April 22, 1920, in the city of Agua Prieta, Sonora, which is near the U.S. border.
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Why the Rebellion Started
The main reason given for the rebellion was a disagreement between Carranza's government and the state of Sonora. They argued over who controlled the water from the Sonora river. However, there were deeper reasons for the conflict.
Carranza and the Generals
President Carranza and the powerful generals from Sonora were not getting along. Álvaro Obregón was one of Carranza's most successful generals during the Mexican Revolution. After the revolution, Obregón left Carranza's government to work on his farm. But he still wanted to become president in the 1920 elections.
Carranza did not want Obregón to be the next president. Instead, he tried to choose his own successor. He picked Ignacio Bonillas, who was Mexico's ambassador to the U.S. Bonillas was a good diplomat, but he was not well-known in Mexico. He also had no military experience from the revolution. Many people thought Carranza chose Bonillas so he could still control the government from behind the scenes.
Sonora's Independence
Carranza also wanted to make the central government stronger. He felt that Sonora was too independent and tried to reduce its power. This upset the revolutionary generals. They believed Carranza was trying to ignore the men who had fought and won the Mexican Revolution. They did not want a civilian with no military background to become president.
The Plan of Agua Prieta listed many complaints against Carranza's government. It was written to explain their reasons and to encourage others to join their cause. Adolfo de la Huerta, Plutarco Elías Calles, and Salvador Alvarado were the main authors of the plan.
Who Joined the Plan
The rebellion in Sonora began a few days before the plan was officially announced. Other important leaders quickly joined. These included General Pascual Ortiz Rubio, the governor of Michoacan, and General Enrique Estrada, the governor of Zacatecas.
Once the plan was released, many more people signed on. Among them were General Ángel Flores, General Francisco R. Manzo, General Francisco R. Serrano, and Colonel Abelardo L. Rodríguez. Rodríguez later became President of Mexico. Even Lázaro Cárdenas, who would also become president, joined the movement. Obregón himself signed the plan after it was issued.
What the Plan Said
The Plan of Agua Prieta stated that Sonora no longer supported Carranza's government. It also said that the election results in several states, like Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, and Nuevo León, were not valid.
The plan offered to avoid fighting with government forces. This was only if those forces did not attack the "Liberal Constitutionalist Army." This army was led by Adolfo de la Huerta, who was the governor of Sonora at the time.
Choosing a New President
The plan gave De la Huerta the power to name temporary governors in states that supported the rebellion. It also asked state governments to send representatives to a special meeting, called a junta. This group would then choose a temporary President of Mexico.
The temporary president would immediately call for new national elections. This was to ensure a fair and democratic process for choosing the next leader.
Carranza's Downfall
The Plan of Agua Prieta gained a lot of support across Mexico. More than three-quarters of the Army turned against Carranza and joined the rebellion. As De la Huerta's army quickly moved towards Mexico City, Carranza refused to give up.
In May 1920, Carranza fled the capital by train. He was heading for the port of Veracruz. He planned to set up a temporary government there, just as he had done earlier in the revolution. However, his train was attacked many times as it left the capital.
The End for Carranza
When the train reached Aljibes, Puebla, it could not go any further because the tracks had been destroyed. Carranza also learned that the military commander of Veracruz, General Guadalupe Sánchez, had joined the rebels.
Carranza and his small group of followers had to change their plans. They decided to travel north on horseback, hoping to reach Carranza's home state of Coahuila. They thought he might find more support there.
On May 20, they reached the town of Tlaxcalantongo, Puebla. In the early hours of May 21, 1920, rebels ambushed them. President Carranza was killed, likely assassinated by the rebels.
After Carranza's death, Adolfo de la Huerta became the temporary president. He served from June 1 to November 30, 1920. Then, Álvaro Obregón was elected as the official president in September 1920, taking office after De la Huerta.
See also
In Spanish: Plan de Agua Prieta para niños
