Mexican Literary and Intellectual Pioneer Jose Vasconcelos marks 57th Anniversary of his passing, attended school in Eagle Pass, Texas
By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2016
On June 30, 2016 marks the 57th Anniversary of the death of Mexico’s literary and intellectual pioneer, Jose Vasconcelos Calderon, who received his elementary school education in Eagle Pass, Texas during his young years. Vasconcelos attended school in Eagle Pass in 1888 to learn English. Vasconcelos died at the age of 77 years old at his home in Mexico City, Mexico.
Jose Vasconcelos Calderon is considered as one of the greatest literary, intellectual, and political thinkers of Mexico. He walked the streets of Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico as a child and attended elementary school in Eagle Pass.
Vasconcelos was born in Oaxaca, Mexico on February 28, 1882 as the son of Ignacio Vasconcelos and Carmen Calderon Conde. Vasconcelos moved from his hometown of Oaxaca, Mexico to Piedras Negras, Coahuila Mexico in 1887 to live with family members at the age of five years old so he could attend school in Eagle Pass to learn the English language.
Vasconcelos enrolled and attended elementary school in Eagle Pass at the age of six years old in 1888. His parents wanted him to learn English and was sent to live in Piedras Negras, Coahuila with family members. After enrolling in school in Eagle Pass, Vasconcelos and his family moved to Eagle Pass to facilitate his English education.
Vasconcelos recalled his educational experience in a 1935 publication entitled “Ulises Criollo.”
“ My first experience in the Eagle Pass School was a bitter one. I saw American and Mexican Children seated in front of a teacher whose language I didn’t understand. Suddenly the kid closest to me, a bilingual Tejanito said to me, “Hey, how many of these guys can you beat up?” I didn’t understand what he was talking about, and he continued, “Can you take on Jack?”and he pointed to a red-haired boy,” wrote Vasconcelos.
Vasconcelos went on to explain that the incident led to him having a fight with another young boy in the school playground as the other kids encouraged them into fighting one against another. He also wrote that a few weeks later, another young boy in school became the target of bullying and taunting by all the school children when he didn’t want to fight another young boy. “The incident angered me, and, being shy and sad by nature, I withdrew,” wrote Vasconcelos.
Vasconcelos and his family members moved back to Piedras Negras, Coahuila after the bullying incidents at school, causing him to walk to school daily across the International Bridge from Piedras Negras, Coahuila to Eagle Pass and vice-versa.
Vasconcelos further recalled having to fight his school peers for some type of acceptance and respect to the point that he pulled a knife on one of the boys who had beaten on him to try to stop the abuse. Vasconcelos noted it worked. The young boy stopped bullying him.
“It was a good thing that I finally won their (Gringos) respect because the classes fascinated me,” wrote Vasconcelos. Vasconcelos later returned to Mexico after spending several years in the Eagle Pass school.
José Vasconcelos Calderón has been called the “cultural caudillo” (Political Power) of the Mexican Revolution. He was an important Mexican writer, philosopher and politician. He is one of the most influential and controversial personalities in the development of modern Mexico. His philosophy of the “cosmic race” affected all aspects of Mexican sociocultural, political, and economic policies.
Vasconcelos experts note that his young life experiences in Eagle Pass, Texas on the United States-Mexico border likely contributed among many other factors to fostering his idea of the Mexican “cosmic race” and rejection of the Anglo culture.
Vasconcelos also participated in the Mexican Revolution. During his teen years, Vasconcelos was interested in studying philosophy. Mexican universities during the Porfiriato focused on the sciences, influenced by French positivism. Vasconcelos attended the National Preparatory School in Mexico City, an elite high school, going on to Escuela de Jurisprudencia (law school) in Mexico City in 1905.
During his time in law school, Vasconcelos became involved with radical students organized as the Ateneo de la Juventud (Youth Atheneum). The Ateneo de Juventud was led by a Dominican citizen, Pedro Henríquez Ureña, who had read Uruguayan essayist José Enrique Rodó‘s Ariel, an influential work published in 1900 that was opposed to Anglo-U.S. cultural influence, but also emphasized the redemptive power of education.
The Anteneo de la Juventud had a diverse membership, composed of university professors, artists, other professionals, and students. Some of its members included such other great future Mexican cultural and socio-political leaders as Isidro Fabela and Diego Rivera.
The Anteneo de la Juventud opposed the Díaz regime and formulated arguments against it and the regime’s emphasis on positivism by employing French spiritualism, which articulated “a new vision of the relationship between individual and society.”
Once Vasconcelos graduated from law school in 190, he joined the law firm of Warner, John, and Galston in Washington, D.C. He became part of the Anti-Reelection Club in Washington, D.C., a Democratic movement to oust long-time Mexican President Porfirio Díaz.
In 1909, Vasconcelos returned to Mexico City to participate more directly in the anti-reelectionist movement, becoming one of the party’s secretaries and editing its newspaper, El Antireelectionista. The Anti-Re elecionista party was headed by then Presidential Candidate Francisco I. Madero . He formally joined anti-Díaz Partido Nacional Antireeleccionista in Mexico City; named one of its Secretaries and co-director of its weekly periodical El Antireeleccionista, soon suppressed by Mexican President Díaz.
During 1910, Vascancelos published the anti-Díaz Gabino Barreda y Las Ideas contemporáneas, resulting in President Díaz’s order for his arrest; Vascacelos escaped to New York, returning to Mexico City after three months.
On October 5, 1910, Vasconcelos vehemently supported Francisco I. Madero’s Plan de San Luis Potosí. The Plan of San Luis de Potosí was a political document written in San Antonio, Texas, and published in the Mexican city of San Luis Potosí in 1910. The document ushered in the Mexican revolution and the collapse of the Presidency of Porfirio Díaz.
Vasconcelos was pursued in Mexico City by Díaz’s police during 1911 which forced Vasconcelos to shut down his law office and relocate to Washington, D.C while still strongly supporting and working for Francisco I. Madero.
Mexican President Díaz was ousted by revolutionary violence on May, 21, 1911 (Treaty of Ciudad Juarez), which was followed by Francisco I. Madero’s election as President of Mexico.
Upon Díaz’s resignation during July 1911 and Madero’s triumph, Vasconcelos returned to Mexico City and re-opened his Law office. In 1911, Vasconcelos was named president of the Ateneo de la Juventud.
Vascancelos went on to be named Vice President of the Executive Committee for the Partido Constitucional Progresiva during September 1911. Francisco I. Madero went on to assume the presidency on November 6, 1911.
During October 1912, the rebellion of Félix Díaz broke out beginning a strong support of Victoriano Huerta, supposedly Madero’s supporter. Vasconcelos warned President Francisco Madero of Victoriano Huerta’s plans.
On February 18,1913, Victoriano Huerta was named President of the Republic of Mexico, which was then tragically followed by the assassination of former President Francisco Madero on February 22,1913. Vasconcelos reportedly warned former President Francisco Madero of Huerta’s plan to have him assassinated, but Madero did not heed Vasconcelos’ warnings.
During March 26, 1913, Jose Venustiano Carranza Garza, Governor of Coahuila, issued the Plan of Guadalupe repudiating President Victoriano Huerta. The document was in response to the overthrow and execution of President Francisco I. Madero during the Ten Tragic Days of February 1913. Vasconcelos was sent as Carranza’s confidential agent to London, Paris during this time. During 1914, Vasconcelos was named Director of Escuela Nacional Preparatoria by Carranza. Vasconcelos was jailed on October 8,1914 after he resigned the directorship and refused to support Carranza unconditionally. He went on to escape to Aguascalientes, Mexico.
During the month of November in 1914, Vasconcelos was named as Minister of Public Instruction by newly appointed Provisional President of the Republic General Eulalio Gutierrez after he was appointed by the Aguascalientes Convention. Gutiérrez’s government was weak and he could not control the two main generals of the Army of the Convention, Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. Gutiérrez moved the capital of his government from Mexico City to San Luis Potosí. He resigned as president and made peace with Carranza.
A year later during January 16, 1915, Gutiérrez and Vasconcelos escaped from Villistas (Pancho Villa) in Mexico City.
On January 20, 1915 Gutiérrez, was declared as no longer the provisional president, he went on to escape to the United States.
Vasconcelos resigned as Gutierrez’s representative in April 1915.
The United States went on to officially recognize Jose Venustiano Carranza’s government in Mexico on October 1915.
Vasconcelos withdrew from public life in November of 1915 and in 1916 published several publications, including Pitágoras, una teoría del ritmo (Havana), Prometeo vencedor (Madrid). He then accepted a post with Escuelas Internacionales and left for South America.
Vasconcelos left his post with Escuelas Internacionales in 1917 and returned to New York City. He proceeded to earn a living as a corporate lawyer across the Untied States with his strong command of the English language learned in Eagle Pass, Texas. In 1918, Vasconcelos published another book titled ” El monismo estético” (Mexico).
During 1919, Vasconcelos went on to abandon his professional life and relocated to California. Vasconcelos then published Estudios Indostánicos and La caída de Carranza; de la dictadura a la libertad during 1920.
President Jose Venustiano Carranza was killed in Mexico during May 20, 1920 ; Vasconcelos then returned to Mexico City. Adolfo de la Huerta was named provisional president on June 9, 1920. President Adolfo de la Huerta appointed Vasconcelos as the Rector of Mexico’s Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (President/Chancellor).
On June 18, 1920, Vasconcelos began his formal campaign against illiteracy in Mexico. Vasconcelos began the monthly journal, “El Maestro” and founded the Secretaría de Educación (Secretariat of Education) of Mexico when Obregon assumed the Mexican Presidency in 1920.
Vasconcelos traveled constantly promoting education and continued fighting against illiteracy across Mexico during 1921. During that same year, he began publication of a series of classic titles in translation. On April 15, 1921 was able to start a free-breakfast program in Mexico’s public schools. Later on during September 1921, Vasconcelos was able to commence and inaugurate el Primer Congreso Internacional de Estudiantes (First International Congress of Students).
On October 3, 1921, Vasconcelos announced “Acta Constitutiva de Federación de Intelectuales Latinoamericanos” and served as president of its steering committee.
Vasconcelos ceased to be the Rector of the Universidad Autonoma Nacional de Mexico (UNAM) on October 12,1921 and was immediately appointed Secretary of Public Education.
During 1922, Vasconcelos published two books, including Divagaciones literarias (Mexico), Orientaciones del pensamiento en México (Córdoba, Argentina), and also established libraries throughout Mexico.
Vasconcelos also inspired and subsidized the “muralist movement” Mexican artists of Diego Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros; patronized national folk arts, founded a national Symphony, carried out first census of indigenous regions and languages and was also designated as special ambassador to South America.
In 1923, he established the beginnings of the National Polytechnical Institute in Mexico City; developed “cultural missions” in rural towns; named Maestro de la Juventud by students of Colombia, Peru, and Panama.
Vasconcelos resigned as Secretary of Public Education during 1924, accepting candidacy for governor of Oaxaca, where he was popularly elected. The central government refused to recognize him in office. He then began collaboration with the newspaper ” El Univesal” and started his review “La antorcha”.
During 1925, Vasconcelos published La raza cósmica (Barcelona). He then left Mexico for Europe via Cuba, traveled Spain, and settled in Paris, France.
In 1926, he published Indología, “una interpretación de la cultura iberoamericana and final issues of La antorcha.” He also gave lectures by invitation in Central America and at the University of Chicago. In 1927, Vasconcelos went on to attend the European anti-communist conference as the Puerto Rican delegate; traveled Europe and continued to lecture at University of Chicago.
Throughout 1928 he continued as a university lecturer across the U.S., including political as well as academic topics. Vasconcelos then accepted the nomination for president of Mexico from the Partido Nacional Antireeleccionista.
He was encouraged to return to public life and proceeded to re-enter Mexico via Nogales during November 10,1928.
During 1929, Vasconcelos published Tratado de metafísica (Mexico) and campaigned along Mexico’s Pacific coast, central and northern states.
Vasconcelos went on to be “unanimously chosen ” President of the Republic in 1929. Vasconcelos was declared President-elect from Guaymas; opposed by both U.S. and central Mexican governments, returned to the U.S., after issuing his Plan de Guaymas, advocating Mexican rebellion from Nogales.
Vasconcelos was so disillusioned with political efforts that he left for Panama during 1930 lecturing against U. S. imperialism and the Mexican President Calles regime.
Between 1931 to 1935, Vasconcelos published many of his important and recognized literary works, including Etica (Madrid), Pesimismo alegre (Madrid) 1931, published Sonata mágica: cuentos y relatos (Madrid) 1933, Bolivarismo y Monroismo: temas iberoamericanos (Santiago, Chile); in Chile, completed first volume of his autobiographical memoirs, Ulises criollo, 1934, published Estética and first volume of Ulises criollo (Mexico) 1935.
During 1935, Vasconcelos re- entered the U.S., moved to New Orleans, then to San Antonio, Texas. He went on to move to Austin, Texas in 1936 where he completed and published La tormenta (Mexico) the second of four volumes of “Ulises criollo”.
Vasconcelos continued to write and publish literary works through his adulthood such as el Desastre, third volume of Ulises criollo in 1938, El proconsulado, completing Ulises criollo(1940), Manual de filosofía and Páginas escogidas (1940), Hernán Cortés, creador de la nacionalidad (1941); Lógica orgánica and El viento de Bagdad (1945).
Vasconcelos was named director of Mexico’s Biblioteca Nacional in 1946.
In the latter years of his life Vasconcelos published his final works, including Filosofía estética (1952), published Temas contemporáneas (1955), and published En el ocaso de mi vida (1957).
In 1958, he was elected vice-president of the Federación Internacional de Sociedades Filosóficas; published Don Evaristo Madero and an expurgated edition of his autobiography.
Jose Vasconcelos Calderon passed away on June 30, 1959 at the age of 77 at his home in Mexico City.
“Only love is capable of producing a resilient humanity.” said Vasconcelos.
