Mexico
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Lazaro Cardenas
Jiquilpan (Michoacan), Mexico
Archival Overview
President of Mexico (1934–1940) who fulfilled the promises of the Mexican Revolution by nationalizing the foreign-owned petroleum industry to create PEMEX, redistributing 45 million acres of land to peasant ejidos, and sheltering Spanish Civil War refugees.
Biographical Record
Lázaro Cárdenas (1895–1970) joined the revolutionary army at age eighteen, rising to general. Refusing to live in the lavish Chapultepec Castle as President, he transformed it into a public museum and lived in a modest residence (Los Pinos), halving his presidential salary and traveling to isolated indigenous villages.
Cárdenas executed the largest agrarian reform in Latin American history, distributing 45 million acres to collective peasant communities (ejidos). On March 18, 1938, when Anglo-American oil companies defied Mexican Supreme Court wage rulings, Cárdenas nationalized the oil industry, sparking national celebration. He also welcomed 40,000 refugees fleeing Franco's fascism in Spain.
Key Life Milestones
Nationalization of the Mexican Oil Industry
Expropriated foreign oil monopolies on March 18, founding the state oil company PEMEX.
Sanctuary for Spanish Republican Refugees
Opened Mexico's borders to 40,000 intellectuals, artists, and families escaping the Spanish Civil War.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialMexico City, Mexico