Sinaloa during the Restored Republic, 1867-1877

Abstract

In Sinaloa, Mexico, the enforcement of the 1857 liberal constitution from 1867 to 1877 advanced political, economic and cultural successes, spawned conflict and provided the basis for the Porfiriato. This study provides explanations pertaining to crucial issues dealing with power, production and culture. In terms of politics, this work explains the empowerment of the republican state, the alienation of popular sectors, the rise of Porfirismo and political centralization; in economics, it describes the productive structure, emphasizing the mining export economy, and the informal financial market; and in the cultural arena, it discusses the building of the Sinaloan identity and the beginnings of a scientific and technological culture. The strengthening of the relationship between Sinaloa and the United States is also discussed. At the end of the French Intervention, the Sinaloan liberals launched initiatives to empower the state, stimulate the economy and extend education, but they met the resistance of the military, the import merchants and the central government. In spite of chronic conflict, production and trade grew, a regional identity was encouraged and the Sinaloans' secular culture was elevated. Furthermore, the increasing federal intervention in local political affairs alienated local liberal politicians, swelled the ranks of the Porfiristas, facilitated the triumph of the Tuxtepecan rebellion and weakened local interest in fighting for state sovereignty. Finally, during the Restored Republic, Sinaloa was the theater of a new relationship between Mexico and the United States, with the United States testing a new policy of economic expansionism which would subsequently flourish during the Porfiriato.