I will analyze the posthumous one-hundredth birthday celebration of former Mexican president and national hero, Benito Juárez, in 1906 Oaxaca City, Mexico. The Juárez celebration took place during the lengthy presidency of fellow Oaxaca native and former political rival Pofirio Díaz (1876-1911). Even though the two men experienced an antagonistic relationship, Díaz embraced the celebration and emphasized his connection to Juárez and, by extension, liberalism, the dominant political ideology. By all accounts, people enthusiastically took part in this official commemoration. But the festivities hid three years of contentious preparations whereby people questioned the political legacy of both men and even liberalism itself. Numerous historians of Mexico have argued that Díaz, a veritable dictator, used national celebrations and civic ceremonies throughout his presidency to foster nationalism among the populace. As such, this celebration provides an important entryway into the debates among historians over hegemony and state formation in Mexico.
","abstract_html":"<p>I will analyze the posthumous one-hundredth birthday celebration of former Mexican president and national hero, Benito Juárez, in 1906 Oaxaca City, Mexico. The Juárez celebration took place during the lengthy presidency of fellow Oaxaca native and former political rival Pofirio Díaz (1876-1911). Even though the two men experienced an antagonistic relationship, Díaz embraced the celebration and emphasized his connection to Juárez and, by extension, liberalism, the dominant political ideology. By all accounts, people enthusiastically took part in this official commemoration. But the festivities hid three years of contentious preparations whereby people questioned the political legacy of both men and even liberalism itself. Numerous historians of Mexico have argued that Díaz, a veritable dictator, used national celebrations and civic ceremonies throughout his presidency to foster nationalism among the populace. As such, this celebration provides an important entryway into the debates among historians over hegemony and state formation in Mexico.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Milstead, John Radley"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MA (Master of Arts)","degree_level":"Thesis - unrestricted","degree_discipline":"History","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2012,"date_issued":"2012-05-05T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2012-05-05T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:20:31Z","subjects":["Liberalism","DÃaz","Juárez","Arts and Humanities","History","Latin American History"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1441","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Milstead, John Radley"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2012-05-05T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["History"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - unrestricted"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MA (Master of Arts)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Liberalism","DÃaz","Juárez","Arts and Humanities","History","Latin American History"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright by the authors."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/2634/viewcontent/MilsteadJ041112f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1441"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["I will analyze the posthumous one-hundredth birthday celebration of former Mexican president and national hero, Benito Juárez, in 1906 Oaxaca City, Mexico. The Juárez celebration took place during the lengthy presidency of fellow Oaxaca native and former political rival Pofirio Díaz (1876-1911). Even though the two men experienced an antagonistic relationship, Díaz embraced the celebration and emphasized his connection to Juárez and, by extension, liberalism, the dominant political ideology. By all accounts, people enthusiastically took part in this official commemoration. But the festivities hid three years of contentious preparations whereby people questioned the political legacy of both men and even liberalism itself. Numerous historians of Mexico have argued that Díaz, a veritable dictator, used national celebrations and civic ceremonies throughout his presidency to foster nationalism among the populace. As such, this celebration provides an important entryway into the debates among historians over hegemony and state formation in Mexico.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Party of the Century: Juárez, Díaz, and the End of the \"Unifying Liberal Myth\" in 1906 Oaxaca"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Milstead, John Radley"],"dc:date.issued":["2012-05-05T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["I will analyze the posthumous one-hundredth birthday celebration of former Mexican president and national hero, Benito Juárez, in 1906 Oaxaca City, Mexico. The Juárez celebration took place during the lengthy presidency of fellow Oaxaca native and former political rival Pofirio Díaz (1876-1911). Even though the two men experienced an antagonistic relationship, Díaz embraced the celebration and emphasized his connection to Juárez and, by extension, liberalism, the dominant political ideology. By all accounts, people enthusiastically took part in this official commemoration. But the festivities hid three years of contentious preparations whereby people questioned the political legacy of both men and even liberalism itself. Numerous historians of Mexico have argued that Díaz, a veritable dictator, used national celebrations and civic ceremonies throughout his presidency to foster nationalism among the populace. As such, this celebration provides an important entryway into the debates among historians over hegemony and state formation in Mexico.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/2634/viewcontent/MilsteadJ041112f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1441"],"dc:rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"dc:subject":["Liberalism","DÃaz","Juárez","Arts and Humanities","History","Latin American History"],"dc:title":["Party of the Century: Juárez, Díaz, and the End of the \"Unifying Liberal Myth\" in 1906 Oaxaca"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["History"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - unrestricted"],"thesis:degree_name":["MA (Master of Arts)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:20:31Z"}