a walking tour: mexican revolution sites in el paso and juarez - Faculty

20. Teatro Alc3zar-506 S. EI Paso.
In 1915, the basement of the Alcazar theater was used
to store weapons for the Huertista counterrevolutionaries.
It was owned by Mexican American politicos
Ike and Frank Alderete, who allegedly helped El Paso
Mayor Tom Lea Sr. purchase arms and 25,000 rounds
of ammunition for the deposed right-wing dictator,
Victoriano Huerta, in his attempt to topple the revolutionary
government of Mexico.
21. Teatro Colon-509 S. EI Paso.
The theater was established by Silvio Lacoma in 1919
to cater to affluent Mexican refugees hungry for
movies, theater, comedy and opera productions featuring
the best Spanish-language performers from all
over the world-La Familia Bell, Virginia Fabregaz,
Los Hermanos Arei, Don Catarino, Nelly Fernandez.
In later years, Mexican superstars such as Cantinflas,
Pedro Infante and Tin Tan would make appearances
at the Colon as well. The Colon became the secondlongest
continually operating Hispanic theater in U.S.
history before closing its doors in 1976.
22. La Patria Offices-317 S. El Paso.
Silvestre Terrazas, the black sheep of the Chihuahuan
oligarchic family, published his newspaper out of
these offices between 1919 and 1925. La Patria was a
pro-Villista Spanish-language newspaper serving the
Mexicano communities in Texas. In 1915, Silvestre
Terrazas was Pancho Villa's right-hand man, helping
him run the administrative part of the Chihuahuan
government during Villa's brief stint as state governor.
Before being exiled to El Paso, Terrazas had published
E! COrTeo de ChihUahua. When his newspaper
supported the candidacy of Francisco Madero, Diaz
branded Terrazas as an "enemy of the state." In El
Paso, he acted as a liaison between Villa and Carranza
as purchasing agent for arms and ammunition.
23. Teatro Hidalgo-311 S. El Paso.
One of several theaters catering to the Mexican colony
in El Paso. A three-reel mm was shown in this theater
of the 1911 Battle ofJuarez. Mabel Silva, Pancho Villa's
Sister-in-law, was an employee at the movie house.
24. Alhambra Theater-209 S. El Paso.
The Alhambra Theater cost its owner Rodolfo Cruz
$150,000 to construct in 1914. The building with its
classical Arabic facade was designed by architect
Henry Trost, who designed more than 200 buildings
in El Paso during the first part of the 1900s. In addition
to movies, the Alhambra also held Spanish
.•
Silvestre Terrazas (second on left) and the staff
of his newspaper La Patria in EI Paso Street, 1921.
(EI Paso Puhlic Library)
The Alhambra Theater, ca. 1916
(Aultman Collection, EI Paso Public Library)
27 1

Paso junta. Other members of the Madero junta
includedJ3raulio Hernandez, a college professor;
Federico Gonzalez Garza, an attorney; and Castulo
Herrera, who reportedly fired the first shot of the
Madero revolution in Chihuahua.
In 1911, Giuseppe Garibaldi came to the Caples
Building to offer his services to Gonzalez Gonzalez
hesitated to incorporate a foreigner into insurrecto
ranks, wishing to avoid charges of filibustering. But
the third-generation freedom fighter was hard to
resist, especially given the paucity of experienced
soldiers in the rebel army. Gonzalez investigated
Garibaldi's background thoroughly before admitting
him into the officers' corps.
Another foreigner who Gonzalez recruited at the
Caples Building was El Paso doctor Ira Bush whom
he persuaded to help form a medical corps for the
insurrectos. Gonzalez was also responsible for
recruiting Pancho Villa, who later became one of his
most loyal supporters.
When the U.S. government put out a warrant for
both Gonzalez and Madero on February 14, both
leaders decided the time had come to cross the Rio
Grande from El Paso into Mexican territolY. They left
behind a skeleton staff at the Caples to be in charge
of the recruitment of troops, the purchase of munitions
and the relaying of information.
The Caples Building was commissioned in 1909
by the former mayor of El Paso, Richard Caples. It
was designed by Henry Trost in a Romanesque style
as El Paso's first cement-poured building.
33. Guarantee Bank and Trust CompanY-104 s. Stanton.
Victor L. Ochoa had his offices at the Terrazas-owned
Guarantee Bank and Trust Company in 1915-the
same building now houses the Gateway Hotel. From
these offices, he carried out smuggling and counterfeiting
activities on behalf of the Carrancistas.
34. Tollee Building-717 E. San Antonio.
The Toastmaster meeting held at the exclusive Toltec
Club on March 31, 1911 gave a clue as to what kind
of government Madero had in mind now that the revolution
had been triumphant. A few days earlier
Porfirio Draz had resigned as President of Mexico
and was on his way toward Veracruz to catch a ship
out of the country.
Madero was the official toastmaster for the select
group of high-society El Paso men who just a couple
of years before had entertained Porfirio Diaz at their
club. None of the working-class rebel leaders had
been invited-not the rough and unrefined Colonel
274
The Caples BUilding, cu. 1910.
(Aultman Colleclion. El PC/so Public Lihrwy)
Guarantee Bank and Trust Company (today s Gateway Hotel),
ca. 1915. (Aultman Collection, El Paso Pubhc Library.)

Villa nor the unassuming General Pascual Orozco.
The only one of Madero's officers invited to the
special gala was Eduardo Hay, an Irish-Mexican
former engineer who had been educated at Notre
Dame University. The other honored guest sitting
near to Madero also carried himself like an aristocrat-the
defeated General Juan Navarro.
In 1914 Pancho Villa rented out the first
floor. His arms smugglers worked out of here.
Two years later, the Toltec Club would hold
a dinner in honor of General John J. Pershing
after his return from pursuing Pancho Villa.
'The five-story Toltec building was constructed
in 1902 at the cost of $100,000. The Toltec
Club was founded, according to its bylaws, for the
"cultivation of social intercourse." It was an exclusive
organization for men who could afford a
$100 initiation fee plus a $50 membership per
year, a considerable sum for EI Pasoans in 1902.
35. Majestic Theater-1l1 Mesa.
On January 13, 1916, a fight inside this theater initiated
a race riot. Mobs of Anglos-angered by the
Toltee Club, ca. 1915. (Aultman Collection, £1 Paso Public Libmry.)
· ').'
killing of 17 American engineers by Villista troops
at Santa Ysabel, Chihuahua-went on a rampage.
They beat and knifed down every Mexican man,
woman or child they encountered on the street.
When they heard of the race riot, numbers of
Carrancista soldiers stationed in Juarez crossed
the bridges to help their compatriots. The riot was
quelled only after General Pershing placed the
town under martial law and prevented Anglos
from entering the Second Ward.
36. The PopUlar Dry Goods CompanY-301 San Antonio.
The Popular store and its owner, Adolph
Schwartz, refused to sell arms to any faction of the
Revolution, but he did provide them with other
merchandise. At one point both the rebels and the
federales were in the store simultaneously shopping
for their respective troops. While the revolu·
tion depressed many sectors of the El Paso economy,
it boosted business for El Paso merchants.
Adolph Schwartz began by supporting Porfirlo
Diaz, but ended up becoming a supporter of
Francisco Madero. In 1912, Adolph Schwartz
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voted against a proposal sent to President Taft by El
Paso merch'ants calling for U.S. intervention in Juarez
after the Orozquista uprising there.
The Popular building also served as a hIding place
for the much-hated General Juan Navarro. Navarro hid
in the basement of the Popular when Villa and Orozco
called for his court martial after his surrender at the
Battle of Juarez. Orozco wanted Navarro tried for hav-'
ing bayoneted unarmed rebel prisoners to death. The
Madero rebels felt all the more aggrieved by Navarro's
actions since they themselves had consistently spared
the lives of federal prisoners. Madero refused to hand
over the federal general to Villa and Orozco's troops.
Instead Madero helped Navarro escape into El Paso
where his disappearance became a major mystery for
the press. On May 14, 1911, the New York Times finally
reported that Navarro was hiding in the cellar of the
Popular Dry Goods Company, "a large department
store in El Paso, where he is guarded by United States
Secret Service Agents." Despite the protection of the
secret service agents, Navarro was immediately
whisked away when a group of Popular employees,
most of them sympathetic to the rebels, began to jeer
and taunt the General.
In 1907, when Adolph Schwartz moved The
Popular into the building, the first three floors were the
meeting place for Masonic Lodge #130. In 1916, Adolph
Schwartz bought the Masonic Building and constructed
an additional three floors. Henry Trost was the architect.
37. Ira Bush Home-809 Magoffin.
Dr. Ira Bush established the Insurrecto Hospital on
Campbell Street dUring the 1911 battle of Juarez. He
also helped smuggle the McGinty Civil War cannon for
the revolutionaries to use during the Battle of Ojinaga.
His involvement in the revolution is documented in his
memoir, Gringo Doctor.
38. Enrique Llorente Home-l117 Magoffin.
Llorente was consul for Madero and Pancho Villa and
ran an espionage agency in El Paso with more than 200
spies. He also later helped Felipe Angeles, Antonio
Villareal and others form the AJianza Liberal Mexicana.
39. Miguel Ahumada Home-1911 E. Rio Grande.
Miguel Ahumada was appointed Governor of Chihuahua
between 1892 to 1903. He served as Governor during the
1893 massacre of Tomochic and again in 1911, when he
was appointed Governor to replace Luis Terrazas.
Ahumada died in this home on August 1916. As governor
of Chihuahua he would send his band everyJanuary
to El Paso's Sunshine festival. Ahumada came to El Paso
Popular Dry Goods Company, 1916. (Auttman
Collection, E/ Paso Public Library.)