Caudillos and Cientificos, Essay Example

In the article, “The End of the Porfiriato,” two different political and governing groups are discussed, the Caudillos and the Cientificos. My understanding of these two groups is based on the above article as well as the article, “Diaz Elects a Governor.” In, “The End of the Porfiriato” the caudillos are described as the “ruling elite”. These are politicians and governing agents who come from the wealthiest and oldest families in Mexico. Some, like Governor Manuel Alarcon, earned their post through military service and devotion to Diaz. Cuadillos had personal ties to the people and the land they governed and were traditional in their views. In sharp contrast, cientificos were progressively liberal. These were politicians often formally trained as economists, engineers or in some form of technology. They had ties to businesses and corporations in Mexico City, as well as contacts in the rural provinces of Mexico. While the caudillos sought to keep the same form of family and clan governship within the states and between the states and capital, cientificos supported forming a national party that would be the source for all governing matters.

Comparisons between the caudillos and cientificos in Mexico can be made on different levels of government here in the U.S. with perhaps the most obvious being a comparison to the Democratic and Republican National parties. Democrats often prefer more governmental control, while Republicans stand on less government control and more individual liberty. It is important to have both views active when making decisions, because the push and pull and eventual compromise between the two prevents an extreme on either side, and prevents the breakdown in government seen in Mexico.