On September 16, 1910 president Porfirio Diaz hosted foreign dignitaries and Mexican citizens at a spectacular parade and military procession that included historical reenactments and dedications to monuments. It was the centennial celebration of Mexico's independence from Spain in 1810 known commonly as El Grito. Mexican citizens walked the streets of this beautiful city known as La Ciudad de los Palacios ("the City of Palaces"). My grandmother probably in her teens at the time was one such person to witness this ostentatious fiesta. About a month later the Mexican revolution would begin started by Francisco I. Madero.
My grandmother was the daughter of general Joaquin Jimenez Castro who became brigadier general of the state of Chihuahua during the revolution. He fought against Pancho Villa being a federal government officer. He must have known the famous Enrique C. Creel of Chihuahua who was governor at one point as well as a consideration for replacing president Diaz at some time.
Could a young woman like my grandmother have even appreciated the plight of so many of Mexico's poor and that as many as 2 million people would loose their lives by the end of the war? A product of her time, she simply lived day to day as a wealthy military officer's daughter and was surely protected from as much of the violence as possible I would suppose.
Postales de mi Lita
Esther Jiménez Castro / Postcards from my grandma Esther Jiménez Castro
I have three of her postcards that I have numbered one, two and three. This is what she wrote on number three:
México á 17
de Sep del 1910
Querida
madrina
-Por la
carta de mi tío Ysidro supimos tío enfermó tanto lo siento mucho tanto yo, como
mis hermanitas y mamá.
-Aquí todos estamos bien y con salud gozando de las
fiestas del Centenario, que han estado muy lucidas principalmente la formación y
el desfile histórico que lo fuimos á ver á la calle de San Francisco.
Dile á Eva
Guzmán que cuando poderle contar todo lo que hubo
Nosotros
hemos estado deseando hubieras estado aquí para que hubieras visto lo que es
bueno, y que te alivies para te pasees.
Reciba
muchos besos y abrazos de tío ahijada y sobrina y saludos á todos mis primos
principalmente á Elvirita
Esther Jiménez
Castro
Éste postal fue mandado a:
Señora
Sara M. de Canales
Monterrey
N.L.
Calle Yeral Capia #142
Mexico Sep 17, 1910
-Dear godmother:
-In the letter from my uncle Ysidro we found out uncle is ill. I'm
very sorry so are my sisters and mom.
-Here we are all in good health and enjoying the Centennial
celebrations, which have been very splendid most of all the
military procession and historical parade that we went to see on
San Francisco Street.
Tell Eva Guzman that when the festivities are over I will write her to tell
her everything that went on.
We've been wishing you had been here to have seen all the good
things and get well and walk around. Sending plenty of hugs and kisses from uncle, goddaughter,
niece and greetings to all my cousins’ chiefly Elvirita
Esther Jimenez Castro
This postcard was sent to:
Mrs.
This postcard was sent to:
Mrs.
Sara M. Canales
Monterrey
N.L.
N.L.
Capia Yeral Street # 142
Front: Monumento á la Independencia.
Note by grandmother reads: Se inauguró el 16 de septiembre de 1910
Back of postcard
