Mexico 68
| Mexico 68 | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Protests of 1968 | |
 Armored cars at the "Zócalo" in Mexico City in 1968 | |
| Date | 1968 |
| Location | Mexico |
| Caused by | |
| Resulted in | Start of the Dirty War |
Part of a series on the |
|---|
| History of Mexico |
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|
Spanish rule |
| Timeline |
 Mexico portal |
The Mexican Student Movement of 1968 was a student movement against the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which occurred in the context of the buildup to the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City and the worldwide protests that year.[1][2] The events that happened from July–October 1968 are colloquially called Mexico 68.[3]
Origins
For several years prior to the protests, Mexico had experienced a period of strong economic performance called the Mexican miracle. The government wanted to showcase this progress to the world during the Olympics. However, the economic growth hadn't been spread evenly, and students saw an opportunity to bring reforms and more democracy to Mexico.[2][4] Arising from reaction to the government's violent repression of fights between rival porros (gangs), the student movement in Mexico City quickly grew to include large segments of the student body who were dissatisfied with the regime of the PRI.[5]
The 1968 Olympic Games took place in Mexico, making it the first developing country to host this event. This represented an important source of income to the country because of the tourists who would come to attend the Olympics. Giving a good impression to the world could lead to the introduction of international investors. However the students were against these ideals. They did not believe that the appearance of Mexico to the world was a priority. They preferred a revolution resulting in the reformation of their country. "No queremos Olimpiadas, queremos revolución" (We do not want Olympic Games, we want a revolution).[6] The IOC threatened to move the Games to Los Angeles if the situation deteriorated.[3][6]
Protests
Protests took place throughout 1968, and were often violently stopped by police.[2]
Silence March
The Silence March was a silent demonstration that took place on September 13, meant to prove that the movement was not a series of riots but had discipline and self-control.[7]
Tlatelolco massacre
From July to September 1968, student movements started to arise and become stronger and more violent, to the point that the government stepped in. However, these meetings were usually under control, until October 2, 1968. At 5 PM in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Tlatelolco, a neighborhood of Mexico City, almost 10 thousand men, women and children stood waiting for a meeting to start. However, when the leaders of the several student organizations and movements arrived, policemen and the military, sent by president Díaz Ordaz and commanded by Luis Echeverria, decided to dissolve the meeting. A student claims that at about 6:10 a helicopter dropped three flares over the plaza, quickly followed by the first gunshots.[8][9]
Aftermath
This social movement brought unavoidable consequences which permanently changed the future of Mexico,[3] but these political and social changes were not immediate, the repression continued with the Corpus Christi massacre in 1971.
The major change caused by this movement came at a political level. The citizens had the opportunity to live a new democracy in which their opinion could actually bring change in society. People no longer trusted completely in the government and would no longer live completely under the conscious control of their government, nor tolerate it anymore,[8] although they were not completely free. Octavio Paz resigned from the Indian embassy as an act of protest against the government's harsh repression of the student movements. However, there were also some older intellectuals who were in favor of the government, like Agustín Yañez.[6]
References
- ↑ "Mexico's 1968 Massacre: What Really Happened?". NPR.
- 1 2 3 Trufelman, Avery (28 June 2017). "Mexico 68". 99% Invisible. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- 1 2 3 Xypolia, Ilia (2013). Gokay, Bulent; Xypolia, Ilia, eds. "Turmoils and Economic Miracles: Turkey '13 and Mexico '68" (PDF). Keele, UK: Keele European Research Centre. p. 33.
- ↑ "Mexican students protest for greater democracy, 1968". Global Nonviolent Action Database.
- ↑ ""La democracia, punto de unión universal entre quienes animamos ese movimiento, se vuelve un espejismo cuando nos acercamos tratando de precisar su contenido." See Sergio Zermeño, México, una democracia utópica: El movimiento estudiantil del 68, 5th Edition (Mexico City: Siglo Veitiuno, 1985), 1.
- 1 2 3 Ponitowska, Elena (September 1998). "Son cuerpos, señor…". Equis. pp. 3–8.
- ↑ Poniatowska, Elena. Massacre in Mexico, trans. Helen R. Lane Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1991.
- 1 2 González, Víctor M. (June 2003). "México 1968…¡No se olvida!". Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente. Archived from the original on November 3, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
- ↑ Youtube footage in which flare drop is visible. Footage was recorded secretly by the government on the day of the massacre. See: Radiodiaries.org
- Pérez, Javier; H. Magaña (February 2003). "Los Movimientos Estudiantiles en México". FES Zaragoza-UNAM. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
