Simone Lawson
Mexico has had a number of constitutions since declaring independence in 1821. The current constitution was ratified in 1917, and is still in force today. It was drafted in Santiago de Querétaro, in the State of Querétaro, Mexico, by a constituent convention during the Mexican Revolution. It was approved by the Constituent Congress on 5 February 1917, and was later amended several times.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of ratification | 1917 |
| Date of approval | 5 February 1917 |
| Successor to | Constitution of 1857 |
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What You'll Learn
The Mexican Constitution of 1917
The Constitution of 1917 was drafted by the faction that won the Mexican Revolution, known as the Constitutionalists for their adherence to the Constitution of 1857. It strengthened the anticlerical framework of the 1857 constitution, empowered the state to expropriate private property, and set protections for organised labour. It insisted on the complete separation of Church and State (article 3), the division of large haciendas into ejidos, held jointly by local entities and national ownership of national subsoil (article 27), and the right of labour to organise, strike, and receive compensation for workplace accidents (article 123).
The Constitution of 1917 is still in force today, almost one hundred years later, and it is considered the legal triumph of the Mexican Revolution. It has been amended several times, most recently in 2015.
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The Mexican Revolution
The current Mexican Constitution was ratified in 1917, following the Mexican Revolution. This constitution was drafted in Santiago de Querétaro, in the State of Querétaro, Mexico, by a constituent convention during the Mexican Revolution. It was approved by the Constituent Congress on 5 February 1917, and was later amended several times. It is the successor to the Constitution of 1857, and earlier Mexican constitutions.
As the revolution unfolded, several key figures emerged as leaders of the various factions. These included Francisco I. Madero, who challenged Diaz in the 1910 presidential election and was briefly president before being overthrown and assassinated. Madero was followed by Victoriano Huerta, who seized power in a coup but was forced to resign in 1914 due to widespread opposition. The most prominent leader of the revolution was Emiliano Zapata, a peasant leader from southern Mexico who fought for land reform and the rights of indigenous people. Zapata is famous for his slogan, "Land and Liberty," which encapsulated the demands of the revolution.
The revolution culminated in the Constitutionalist faction, led by Venustiano Carranza, drafting the Constitution of 1917. This constitution strengthened the anticlerical framework of the 1857 constitution, empowered the state to expropriate private property, and set protections for organised labour. It also insisted on the complete separation of church and state, the division of large haciendas into jointly held ejidos, and the right of labour to organise, strike, and receive compensation for workplace accidents. The Constitution of 1917 is considered a legal triumph of the Mexican Revolution and served as a model for progressive constitutions around the world.
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The Constitution of 1857
The current Constitution of Mexico, formally the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, was approved by the Constituent Congress on 5 February 1917. It is the successor to the Constitution of 1857, which was the framework set by Mexican liberals that incorporated particular laws into the constitution. The Constitution of 1857 was enacted in the wake of Mexico's independence in 1821 and was one of several constitutions or other documents of basic law with constitutional effects that Mexico has adopted since. The Constitution of 1824 established the framework of a federated republic, following the short-lived monarchy of Agustín de Iturbide (in 1821–22). The Constitution of 1857 was the framework set by Mexican liberals that incorporated particular laws into the constitution. The Constitution of 1917 was drafted by the faction that won the Mexican Revolution, known as the Constitutionalists for their adherence to the Constitution of 1857. It strengthened the anticlerical framework of the 1857 constitution, empowered the state to expropriate private property, and set protections for organised labour. It also insisted on the complete separation of Church and State, the division of large haciendas into ejidos, held jointly by local entities and national ownership of national subsoil, and the right of labour to organise, strike, and receive compensation for workplace accidents. The Constitution of 1917 served as a model for progressive constitutions around the world, including the Weimar Constitution of 1919 and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Constitution of 1918.
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The Constitution of 1824
The Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States (1824) required each state to draft its own constitution. The state of Coahuila and the former Spanish province of Texas were combined as the state of Coahuila and Texas, and the state's constitution was promulgated in 1827.
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The Mexican War of Independence
The current Mexican constitution was ratified in 1917, but Mexico has had a number of constitutions since declaring independence in 1821. The first constitution of the Mexican republic was drafted after the demise of the short-lived monarchy of Agustin I, the first independent post-colonial state in Mexico after the Mexican War of Independence wrested control from Spain.
On 16 September 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest, launched the Mexican War of Independence with the issuing of his Grito de Dolores, or 'Cry of Dolores'. The revolutionary tract, so-named because it was publicly read by Hidalgo in the town of Dolores, called for an end to 300 years of Spanish rule in Mexico, redistribution of land and racial equality. Hidalgo inspired tens of thousands of ordinary men to follow him, but he did not organise them into a disciplined fighting force or have a broad military strategy.
The war was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional struggles that occurred within the same period, and can be considered a revolutionary civil war. It culminated with the drafting of the Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire in Mexico City on 28 September 1821, following the collapse of the royal government and the military triumph of forces for independence.
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Frequently asked questions
The current Mexican constitution was ratified in 1917.
The first Mexican constitution was drafted in 1824, following the country's independence from Spain in 1821.
The second Mexican constitution was ratified in 1857.
The third Mexican constitution was ratified in 1917.
The 1917 constitution was amended in 2015, so this is the fourth Mexican constitution.
