OCTOBER 8, 1974. A NEW CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF SOUTHERN BAJA CALIFORNIA.

 

Author: Sealtiel Enciso Pérez

The great effort that meant the achievement of our parents' cherished desire to turn this territory into a federative entity and to be able to elect our authorities through suffrage has been forgotten. Few young people have a reference to "October 8" beyond saying that it is the name of "two sectors of a neighborhood in the city of La Paz." It is necessary for our authorities and social leaders to rescue this great event and permanently disseminate it among our citizens.

October 8 (1974) commemorates the Publication of the Decree by which the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States was modified to give the status of Federated States to the then territories of Baja California Sur and Quintana Roo. This event, which may seem like a mere formality of the chambers of deputies and senators in response to the request made by the president of the republic on September 1 of that same year, meant for the inhabitants of this peninsula the culmination of a long struggle that I would dare to assure began since the adherence of its civil and military forces to the National Independence Act in 1822.

This peninsula has always had men and women who have given ample proof of their ability to govern their government and conduct themselves in civil and social acts with the decorum and necessary values; unfortunately, the deficiencies imposed by living in a desert land where water is scarce have caused its population density to be one of the lowest in the nation, in addition to the fact that sources of development (industry, agriculture, fishing, and livestock) are limited. To the above was added for many years the lack of a decisive support by federal authorities towards the development of the necessary infrastructure for the modernization of our land, leaving its citizens to solve it with their scarce means, but the ruler in power in Mexico imposed the political and military chief to govern our destiny.

Only on three occasions, officially, were native citizens at the head of the administration of the district and later territory of the southern part of Baja California. We are referring to Mr. Agustin Arriola Martinez (1920-1924), Jose Agustin Olachea Aviles (1929-1931) and Juan Dominguez Cota (1932-1938), who, in their performance, gave abundant evidence of great leadership ability, prudent administration, and intelligence to resolve the serious problems that were faced during their time in office. However, the federal government remained deaf to the requests made by various sectors of our territory to have the possibility of electing a "native or rooted" governor.

With the appointment of General Francisco Jose Mugica Velazquez as military and political chief of our territory (1940-1945), political leaders began a more active defense to achieve a plebiscite to elect our own governor. These demands were supported by General Mugica, who included several distinguished leaders in his government. It was thus that in 1945, the famous Southern California Unification Front (F.U.S.) emerged, which catalyzed these deeply felt demands. Some of its members were Francisco Cardoza Carballo, Jose H. Ramirez, Arturo Canseco Jr., Francisco Urcadiz, Jorge S. Carrillo, Francisco C. Jerez, Felix J. Ortega, Miguel L. Cornejo, Estanislao Cota, and Felix Rochin C.

Upon General Mugica's resignation from the chief position of our territory, the Front members went to Mexico City to present their proposal: to allow free elections in our state and thereby elect our own governor. However, this desire still had to wait. President Avila Camacho only agreed to appoint a governor born in southern California but under his tutelage, General Agustin Olachea Aviles. The hour for Baja California Sur had not yet sounded.

It took about 20 years for the arrival of Lic. Hugo Cervantes del Río to the governorship of the Territory (1965-1970), starting the era of civilian rulers (civilism), while social and political circumstances were being woven in the national life so that the sectors that strongly pushed for the demand to elect their own authorities and for our territory to become a State would be favorably concretized. As Gustavo Díaz Ordaz's six-year term drew to a close and Luis Echeverría was poised to become the next candidate to replace him, a clearer picture began to emerge for the strongly felt demands of this Calisurean land. On October 11, 1970, a Magna Concentration was held in the Port of Loreto, where the demands of having a native or rooted governor elected by Sudcalifornians were tangibly presented, as well as requesting that the Mexican Constitution be modified so that our territory would become the 30th state of the republic. These proposals were signed by thousands of inhabitants and delivered to the now President-elect of Mexico, Luis Echeverría Alvarez.

Upon being inaugurated as president, Luis Echeverría announced that he was appointing Ing. Félix Agramont Cota as the governor of the territory of Baja California Sur, and he did so because the Constitution mandated it, but the proposals submitted in October of that year were being analyzed. During the following 4 years, the Municipal regime was reinstated in Baja California Sur (1972) and a large injection of resources was given to create the necessary infrastructure to make it as autonomous as possible: the way was being prepared for what would happen at the end of 1974.

With this brief review of events and struggles, I want to encourage young people of all ages to learn about and value these and other events that shaped the Sudcalifornia we have today. Those who do not know their past do not value it and are doomed to repeat the same mistakes. Let us learn from our history and join together to give Baja California Sur a more dignified future for our families.

Bibliography:

“EL FRENTE DE UNIFICACIÓN SUDCALIFORNIANO Y LORETO 70” Domingo Valentín Castro Burgoin

LORETO 70. COMPILACIÓN POLÍTICA DE SUDCALIFORNIA

Blog del “Instituto Nacional para el Federalismo y el Desarrollo Municipal”

Fernando de la Toba. El alférez que juró la adhesión bajacaliforniana a la Independencia Nacional – CULCO BCS - Sealtiel Enciso Pérez

El FUS y Loreto 70. Los movimientos que forjaron a Baja California Sur – CULCO BCS - Sealtiel Enciso Pérez