Madero Camp

In the spring of 1911, Pascual Orozco and Francisco "Pancho" Villa gathered their revolutionary forces on the outskirts of Ciudad Juárez and were soon joined by Francisco I. Madero. Across the river, Madero Camp became the center of the revolutionary movement against President Porfirio Díaz. A small adobe building known as La Casita Gris, or the Little Grey House, served as the headquarters of Madero's provisional army, while thousands of irregular troops camped there. For weeks the camp was crowded with journalists and spectators and was the scene of lively revolutionary celebrations. Orozco and Villa prepared their troops for an assault, but Madero, fearing an attack might antagonize American support for the revolution, ordered them to stop. On May 8, 1911, Orozco defied that order and stormed the city, beginning the first Battle of Juárez. Federal troops held the city for two days, but on the third day rebel forces triumphed, forcing the surrender of General Juan Navarro and Díaz loyalists. The loss of Ciudad Juárez led to Díaz's resignation. Later that year, Francisco I. Madero became president of Mexico, but his revolutionary coalition was already falling apart, and within two years he was deposed, imprisoned, and killed by Díaz loyalists.

El Paso, Texas · United States