What is the Tragic Ten? By Daniela Seves Rodriguez, we have argued how our national history is fascinating and full of Chiara Escuro, allowing us to understand more deeply the actions of human beings and not lose our capacity for wonder at events that may seem strange and difficult to explain, but which are inherent in the course of human existence, mixed with the environments and situations of the time that contextualize and shape everything that has filled the pages that make up our past. Today we will mention ten days that marked the course of what could be understood as the end of the revolutionary movement that culminated in the exile of Porfirio Diaz and the return or transition to a democratic process, where through clean elections Francisco I. Madero had reached the presidency in 1911, representing with him the opening of a different life for the nation facing a 20th century that opened its eyes to a fresh dynamic and a development framed in principles of peace and harmony. But unfortunately, this was not the case. The honeymoon that our country experienced in this awakening to democracy was very short. The rumblings of war, violence, betrayal, and rancor were preparing to resurface soon from our soil and plunge us into yet another stage of conflict and instability. What will happen in Mexico from February 9 to 19, 1913, will be known as the Ten Tragic Days. Ten days that will be the prelude that will open the door to another stage of war, an internal struggle, that will not end until 1929, when the forces in conflict or belligerence will be brought together by the so-called supreme leader of the Mexican Revolution with the formation of a party through which he will put an end to that time of Barracks' revolts, of the Outwith Me So I Can Take Over. Brandished in plans that were nothing more than declarations to seize the presidential chair. Despite arriving with the full acquiescence of the country, Madero's style of governance, along with that of his vice president Pino Suarez, was not entirely agreeable to various sectors. This was especially true of his continued use of the Porfirian army and the dismissal of the revolutionaries who had supported him. Specifically, his policies were not well received by the United States, whose proposals were not being implemented as easily as they could have been. For this reason, their ambassador, Henry Lane Wilson, began to cultivate relationships with figures within the Porfirian sphere, such as Generals Bernardo Reyes, Félix Diaz, and Manuel Mondrigan. The latter initiated a revolt in Mexico City that began to sway various sectors of society. He quickly freed Generals Diaz and Reyes, who were imprisoned in the capital, thus leading a movement that immediately demanded the resignation of Madero and Pino Suarez. This demand was logically rejected, unleashing a conflict that would last through those fateful days, marked by a series of vicissitudes such as betrayals, foreign interference, and executions. Treacherous schemes, secret pacts, and a president who served for a record time in his term, among other things, as well as an image that remains for posterity where the loyalty of the H. military college is demonstrated. Tragic and bloody days followed, where the peace sought by Porfirio Diaz with his departure from the country, where he stated that he was resigning to avoid further bloodshed, remained only on paper. Mexico rose up in arms once again, and the capital was the center of this conflict, primarily located in iconic places like the Citadel, where the rebels entrenched themselves and made it their stronghold of resistance, as well as the United States Embassy, where Wilson and Huerta plotted the lethal pact that would give him safe passage to eliminate Madero and Pino Suarez, who were no longer useful to his political project. For this reason, this pact has been called the Pact of the Embassy or the Pact of the Citadel. Once Madero was informed of the uprising of these generals, he decided that morning, despite the risk, to move from Chapultepec Castle to the National Palace, escorted by cadets from the heroic military college, in what has been called the March of Loyalty. This march once again reinforces patriotic sentiment and the enormous pride that adorns this loyal institution with glory. That is why the celebration is held annually to reaffirm its respect and observance of the executive power. Following this, everything unfolded in a flurry of events. In a sordid confrontation, the rebel general Bernardo Reyes was killed and General Loro Viller, defender of the city, was wounded. This led Madero to appoint General Victoriano Huerta as military commander. A grave error since this decision was vital to the outcome of the conflict. Huerta, along with Felix Diaz, received the full support of President Taft through his ambassador Wilson to manipulate the situation and demand the resignation of Madero and Pino Suarez. This occurred on February 19, during which a rather anecdotal event took place. Pedro Lascarain was appointed interim president, and his term lasted only 45 minutes, just enough time to draft two official documents. One appointing Victoriano Huerta as Secretary of the Interior, and the other signing his resignation. Legally, by law, Huerta was entitled to assume the presidency of the Republic, all perfectly legal. Despite pressure from the Cuban, Japanese, and Chilean embassies to safeguard the integrity of the deposed president and vice president, they were executed on February 22, with the news spreading that they had been victims of an assault, a sad episode in the history of Mexico, which in later years would become not just a dozen, but the so called tragic dozen. But that will be another story.