Porfirio Díaz: four incredible inventions that came to Mexico during his government

Porfirio Díaz is perhaps one of the most problematic characters in Mexican history, on the one hand, he is accused of having perpetuated in power for more than 30 years and on the other hand, he is applauded for bringing to the country “order and progress”.

Regardless of whether he did things right or wrong, one fact that cannot be denied is that, thanks to his diplomatic relations and his friendships with countless businessmen, he managed to bring to Mexico multiple changes that showed the technological advances that were emerging in the world.

Although at first the only ones who benefited were the aristocrats, since they alone had enough money to pay for the newly arrived artifacts, in the long run they were used by a good percentage of the population. These 4 inventions were: the telephone, cinematographer, automobile and radiotelegraphy

The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) points out that the telephone arrived in 1878 and the first link that was made was between the center of the capital and Tlalpan. After that event, the first telephone line between Chapultepec Castle and the National Palace was installed.

During those years, a law was issued that established specific regulations for the service of railways, telegraphs and telephones, “which designates telephones as general channels of communication to unite municipalities or states”.

In addition, INAH explains that in 1883 it was possible to hold the first “international conference call between interlocutors located in Matamoros, Tamaulipas and Brownsville, Texas”. Although not everyone had access to this device, there are records that during 1890 there were a total of 1,110 telephone subscribers.

At first the Mexican Telefónica Company was founded, which was the sole provider of this service until in 1905 Telefónica Ericsson arrived and began operations in the Republic. Initially, the networks of both organizations were not interconnected, “so the subscribers of one company could not communicate with those of the other until 1947 they were able to link them.”

The arrival of cinema was practically a Christmas present, as the cinematographer arrived in the country on December 28, 1895. That day the French brothers Louis and August Lumière were in charge of preparing everything necessary to show Mexican society their new invention.

Paco Ignacio Taibo tells in the book Popular History of Cinema: From its beginnings until he began to talk that the first spectator who could enjoy this new technology was Porfirio Díaz and “a select group of guests, who received Bernard and Gabriel Vayre, envoys from the Lumière brothers, on the night of August 6, 1896 in Chapultepec Castle”.

After Diaz gave the go-ahead, the first public function was scheduled at number 9 Plateros street. An article in Gaceta UNAM states that the show was a success, as it meant an urgent enrichment of public entertainment, since at that time “there was a high rate of alcoholism and suicides in society caused by the tedium and monotony of Porfirian life”.

The same source points out that the cost of admission was fifty cents. People were so surprised to see something move on the screen that they did not hesitate to attend these spaces repeatedly.

According to information from the Government of Mexico, the mode of transport took a total turn in 1895, the year in which the first car arrived in Mexico. At first, some “French cars of the Delaunay Belleville brand, Benz from Germany, the Italian Fiat and the American companies Packard and Pope-Toledo” were imported.

It took six years for the first car dealership to open and by 1903 the sale of Oldsmobile cars in Mexico City was announced in the newspapers. This also brought job opportunities for residents of the country, especially those of the capital.

The same source indicates that compared to the sales price in the United States or Europe, in the country the cost was high. The reason was shipping costs, import taxes and commissions, plus it had to be paid in cash. “Despite this, buyers were buying mid-range and luxury European cars.”

Despite the fact that the first time this device arrived in the territory was before Diaz came to power, according to the Ministry of Communications and Transport, it was thanks to it that radiotelegraphy or wireless telegraphy arrived between 1907 and 1911. At that time the railway companies played a fundamental role, since they had a considerable telegraph network installed, “so it was easy for the government to ask permission to place one more wire on those poles”.

In addition, Diaz was responsible for improving the General Directorate of National Telegraphs and managed to increase the telegraph network from “8,000 kilometers to more than 40,000 kilometers in length, which gave rise to the 'Golden Age of the Telegraph'”.

Thus, by 1907, the Ministry of Communications and Public Works had a total of 379 telegraph offices. It should be noted that just as this invention was one of the pillars of the Porfiriato, it also served to end it.

The reason is that through this medium the revolutionaries were able to communicate quickly to overthrow the then dictator. One of the telegraph archives is currently preserved “where indications, warnings or news were given of what was happening with the movement throughout the country”.

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