Commemorate to legitimize: the centennial of Juárez in Campeche and the nation-building process (1905-1906)

Abstract

This article addresses the preparations and festivities carried out in the state of Campeche for the centenary of Benito Juárez’s birthday. It observes how this expression of the Porfirian national project was locally interpreted and assimilated, to show its scope, its limitations and the nuances of cultural homogeneity. It is shown that the provisions about the celebration and the speeches coming from the center were read in different ways throughout the state. Finally, it is explained that the ruling group of Campeche used the celebration and the mythical figure of Juárez to legitimize itself politically and to link itself to the nation, in the process of shaping an identity as a state.