Presentación Oral Alvaro Obregón

I’m Alvaro Obregon Salido. I was born on February 17, 1880 in Siquisiva, Sonora. My father was Francisco Obregon Gomes; he died few months after I was born; and my mother was Cenobia SalidoPalomares. I was raised in poverty by her and my three sisters Maria, Rosa and Cenobia. I got elementary education at my brother school. After that I worked in several places until I got enough money to buy asmall farm where I harvested chickpea. I got married for the first time with Refugio Urrea on 1903. We had four children but in 1907 she died with two of them. I left the other two with my sistersfor raising them.
In 1909 I invented a chickpea harvester and I started selling them and soon I was able to create my own company for selling them to Mayo Valley’s farmers.
I started my politicalcareer on 1911 when I was elected as the municipal president of Huatabampo. Then, when Madero started the revolution with the Plan de San Luis Potosí I didn’t care much, but shortly after he won andbecame president, I started supporting him. When he fought against Pascual Orozco, I volunteered to fight. I didn’t always obey all the orders but with this I was still able to win several battles. Thishelped me to reach the rank of colonel in less than a year.
When Huerta became president I went back to Sonora and offered my services in the movement against him. They made me chief of Sonora's WarDepartment. I drove federal troops all around the region taking control of Nogales, Cananea and Nacozari, and in September 30, 1913 Venustiano Carranza made me Chief Commander of the constitutionalarmy in the northwest directing Sonora, Sinaloa, Durango, Chihuahua and Baja California. I started marching south on April 1914 and in Jalisco we killed 8000 of Huerta’s men ensuring his defeat. InAugust 11 I signed the treaties that brought an end to Huerta’s regime and on August 16 my troops and I marched triumphantly into Mexico City.
When the treaty of Torreon was signed, several problems...