José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz was a Mexican soldier and politician Born in Oaxaca, Mexico in 1830. Diaz was of mixed Spanish and indigenous blood. His father died when he was only three years old and he was sent away to school at the age of six. His family was devoutly Catholic and he began training for the priesthood but he was called out to serve as a soldier during the Mexican-American war. During his early life he met Benito Juarez another politician who served as the governor of Oaxaca and later president of Mexico from 1868-1872. Diaz was also present during the Battle of Puebla in the Franco- Mexican war of 1867. He seized power in 1876 during a coup. He served seven times as the president of Mexico being in power for over 35 years between 1876 and 1911! The time in which he was in power is known as the Porfiriato.
Like many men of great power, Diaz is a controversial figure. During the time in which Diaz was in power, industry and the economy prospered. It was the only time in which the Mexican peso was equivalent to the US dollar. However this economic growth mainly benefited the elite both inside and outside of Mexico, including Diaz himself who amassed a large personal fortune. Diaz permitted heavy investment in mining and railways by both the Americans and British while taking a cut of the earnings. In addition, the already wealthy landowners increased their landholdings leaving many campesinos (subsistence farmers) unable to make a living. These policies lead directly to the Mexican Revolution of 1910. In 1911, Díaz fled to France where he later died in 1915.
