The discourse of peace in times of revolution: newspaper El Republicano, Aguascalientes, 1911-1917

Abstract

During the Mexican Revolution, the speech about peace was on going in El Republicano, which was the Aguascalientes State official media paper. National information stressing the need to build peace or to have a peace treaty was continuously published. On the local side, the fact that Aguascalientes remained calm and peaceful stood out. The goal of this article is to show and analyze such source of information and the various interpretations of peace that were displayed on it, because from the official speech standpoint the objective was to keep the public order and therefore when there were news about violent events, those were left out or it was said that those occurred outside the local reality. Notes from the press media from 1911 through 1917 were reviewed, meaning the period nation-wide known and linked to Porfirio Díaz resignation, Madero taking over the government and up to the issuance of the 1917 Constitution, which was made public in parts. It is important to analyze the public speech because it was aligned with the ruling group, i.e. Madero, Huerta, Villa or Carranza; and in addition it stressed the value of the law and the defense of the Republic and democracy which is sustained by a Manichaean speech and an appealing history of heroes and villains.