|
Primary
Source Documents For The
Torreón Massacre Daniel
R. Jennings, MA, MDiv, MSc Synopsis: The
Torreón massacre (Spanish: Matanza de chinos de Torreón, Chinese: 托雷翁大屠殺)
was a racially motivated massacre against people of Chinese descent that took
place May 13-15, 1911 in the Mexican city of Torreón, Coahuila. The massacre
occurred in connection with the capture of Torreón by the revolutionary
forces of Francisco I. Madero. In total, several hundred Chinese residents
were killed at the hands of a local mob acting in tandem together with the
invading soldiers. A large number of Chinese homes
and establishments were also looted and destroyed. |
||
|
Primary
Sources |
|
|
|
Person/Group |
Description |
Source |
|
United States
Congress |
In 1882 the U.S.
Congress began passing legislation banning the immigration of people from
China, which would later be referenced as a reason that Mexico should do the
same. All in all, there were at least five anti-Chinese acts passed by the
U.S. Congress between 1882 and 1911, which were compiled in the following
book which was published to aid government agencies in discriminating against
the Chinese. |
Treaty, Laws and Regulations Governing the Admission of Chinese:
Regulations Approved April 18, 1910 (Department of Commerce and Labor,
Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization). Washington: Government Printing
Office, 1910. |
|
Chinese and Mexican
Governments |
This was the treaty,
signed by Mexico and China twelve years before the massacre, that guaranteed
Chinese citizens that they would “have complete protection in their persons,
families, and property” should they decide to immigrate to Mexico. |
Treaty of
Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation Between Mexico and China. |
|
Jesus C. Flores |
On May 5th, Jesus
Flores, a Maderista leader from Gomez Palacio,
delivered an incendiary speech saying that one of the goals of the revolution
was to rid Mexico of the Chinese, citing the U.S. legislation against Chinese
immigration as one of the reasons they should do so. |
References in
the writings of Edith Wagner, Delfino Ríos, and Cunard Cummins. |
|
|
|
|
|
Chinese Merchants’
and Laborers’ Society Of Torreón |
Prior to the arrival
of the revolutionary forces in Torreón, the local Chinese population feared
that they would be targeted and issued a circular, in Chinese, instructing
them what to do in the event they were targeted. |
Circular text in
Lebbeus Wilfley & Arthur Bassett, Memorandum on the Law and the Facts
in the Matter of the Claim of China against Mexico for Losses of Life and
Property Suffered by Chinese Subjects at Torreón on May 13, 14, and 15, 1911
(Mexico: American Book and Printing Company, 1911). |
|
|
|
|
|
Edith Wagner |
Wagner was a U.S.
citizen living in the neighboring city of Gomez Palacio. She gives a
firsthand account of the entrance of the Revolutionists into the area,
including the persecution of the Chinese. |
Letters
from Mexico I & II in The
Bellman, Vol. XVI, No. 397, Minneapolis, Saturday, February 21, 1914 (The Bellman Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota) & The
Bellman, Vol. XVI, No. 398, Minneapolis, Saturday, February 28, 1914 (The
Bellman Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota). |
|
|
|
|
|
Anonymous Account In The Salt Lake Tribune |
The author was a
photographer living in Torreón at the time of the massacre. He secretly sent
some of his photographs and a written account of the abuses towards the
Chinese to a newspaper in Utah. He asked that his name be withheld for fear
of reprisals against him in Mexico. |
Salt Laker Witness Of Terrible Sight; Scenes Of
Ruthless Massacre Of Chinese At
Torreon in The Salt Lake Tribune, Wednesday Morning, May 31, 1911,
p.12. |
|
|
|
|
|
George C. Carothers |
Carothers was the
U.S. Consul in Torreón at the time of the massacre and was asked to perform
an official investigation into the massacre. |
Report Of
Investigation Of Chinese Massacre That G.C.
Carothers, American Consular Agent, Torreón, Coahuila, Made June 7, 1911.
National Archives and Records Administration College Park, Maryland, RG 59
Department Of State Decimal File, 1910-29:
312.93/1-312.94/46, Box 3832. |
|
|
|
|
|
In 1919 Carothers
testified before the United States Senate Committee On
Foreign Relations as part of their investigation of outrages committed
against U.S. citizens in Mexico. During his testimony he described his
experience of living through and attempting to bring an end to the massacre
against the Chinese. |
Testimony Of George C.
Carothers in Investigation Of Mexican Affairs, Preliminary Report And
Hearings Of The Committee On Foreign Relations, United States Senate Pursuant
To S. Res. 106 Directing The Committee On Foreign Relations To Investigate
The Matter Of Outrages On Citizens Of The United States In Mexico (a.k.a. The
Fall Commission) in Senate Documents, Vol 9, 66th Congress, 2nd Session, Dec
1, 1919-June 5, 1920 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1920),
p.1755-1786. |
|
|
|
Carothers was also
interviewed in 1911 by Antonio Ramos Pedrueza as part of his largescale
investigation for the Mexican government. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Delfino Ríos |
Ríos was an old
resident of Torreón and a Mexican citizen who witnessed the massacre. He was
also the owner of the local Torreón newspaper Diogenes wherein he
published his account describing the massacre. |
The Truth About The Assassination Of The Chinese In Torreón in Diogenes,
July 16, 1911. Translated and published in Owang
King & Arthur Bassett, Report of Messrs. Owang
King and Arthur Bassett, Repre- sentatives
of His Excellency, Minister Chang Yin Tang in an Investigation Made in Con-
junction with Licenciado Antonio Ramos Pedrueza, Representative of His
Excellency, Francisco L. de la Barra, President of Mexico, of the Facts
Relating to the Massacre of Chinese Subjects at Torreón on the 15th of May,
1911 (Mexico: American Book and Printing Company, 1911). |
|
|
|
|
|
Macrino J. Martínez |
Martínez was part of
the invading forces, having surveyed Torreón in April of 1911 to prepare for
the attack and was the investigating judge appointed by the invading forces
to provide an official investigation into what had happened to the Chinese.
The goal of his investigation is considered by all researchers to have been
to produce a piece of propaganda that would place the blame on the Chinese
and make the invading forces look justified in killing the Chinese. Whether
this goal came from Martínez’s level to protect himself and his forces or a
higher level is unclear. Martínez’s report suggests that the Chinese provoked
the massacre by attacking the invading forces first. |
Searching
for this document |
|
Billee and Tulitas Jamieson (née Wulff) |
Tulitas was the daughter of
German-American architect Frederick Wulff who helped design the city of
Torreón. Her husband Billee was present in Torreón at the time of the
massacre. Their accounts were woven together by their daughter Evelyn. |
Tulitas Of Torreón: Reminicenses
of Life in Mexico (El Paso: Texas
Western Press, 1969), pp.112-123. |
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. J. W. Lim |
Dr. J. Wong Lim was a
prominent and influential leader in the Chinese community of Torreón who was
both a doctor and a businessman. He was arrested and almost killed during the
massacre. He was also misquoted by Macrino J. Martínez’s biased
investigation, having been falsely said to have indicated that the Chinese
provoked the attack. In response he produced both a Declaration and a
Protestation in which he explained what he witnessed and his disagreement
with Martínez’s investigation results. |
The Declaration
of Dr. J. W. Lim |
|
Cunard Cummins |
Cummins was the
British Vice Consul in Gomez Palacio at the time of the massacre and
mentioned the event in his official correspondence. Cummins was also
interviewed in 1911 by Antonio Ramos Pedrueza as part of his largescale
investigation for the Mexican government. |
British
Consular Documents: Cunard Cummins, British Vice Consul, to the Foreign
Office, May 29, 1911, Gomez FO/204/391, Foreign Office Records Relating to
Mexico [FOR-M], Public Record London. |
|
|
|
|
|
Photographs |
H.H. Miller was an
American photographer living in Torreón at the time of the massacre. He,
along with at least one to three other anonymous/today unknown photographers
took several photographs after the event. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. W. Enders |
Enders was an
American investor living in Torreón at the time of the massacre and testified
before the United States Senate Committee On
Foreign Relations on what he witnessed. |
Testimony Of Mr. C. W.
Enders in Investigation Of Mexican Affairs, Preliminary Report And
Hearings Of The Committee On Foreign Relations, United States Senate Pursuant
To S. Res. 106 Directing The Committee On Foreign Relations To Investigate
The Matter Of Outrages On Citizens Of The United States In Mexico (a.k.a. The
Fall Commission) in Senate Documents, Vol 9, 66th Congress, 2nd Session, Dec
1, 1919-June 5, 1920 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1920),
p.1077-1080. |
|
|
|
|
|
Paul C. Renard |
Renard was an
American architect and engineer living in Torreón at the time of the massacre
who also testified before the United States Senate Committee On Foreign Relations on what he witnessed. |
Testimony Of Paul C. Renard
in Investigation Of Mexican Affairs, Preliminary Report And Hearings Of
The Committee On Foreign Relations, United States Senate Pursuant To S. Res.
106 Directing The Committee On Foreign Relations To Investigate The Matter Of
Outrages On Citizens Of The United States In Mexico (a.k.a. The Fall
Commission) in Senate Documents, Vol 9, 66th Congress, 2nd Session, Dec 1,
1919-June 5, 1920 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1920),
p.1080-1083. |
|
|
|
|
|
Donato R. Cárdenas |
Pressed for answers
by the governments of both China and Japan (who had also received notice that
some of its citizens had been killed in the massacre), the State Department
of Mexico sent Judge Donato R. Cárdenas to perform a fresh investigation. |
|
|
Owang (Owyan)
King & Arthur Bassett |
King, a
representative for China, and Bassett, an American lawyer retained by China,
were sent to investigate the massacre to ascertain whether a lawsuit could be
proceeded with. Their results were published in book form in 1911. |
Report of Messrs.
Owang King and Arthur Bassett, Representatives of
His Excellency, Minister Chang Yin Tang in an Investigation Made in Con-
junction with Licenciado Antonio Ramos Pedrueza, Representative of His
Excellency, Francisco L. de la Barra, President of Mexico, of the Facts
Relating to the Massacre of Chinese Subjects at Torreón on the 15th of May,
1911 (Mexico:
American Book and Printing Company, 1911). |
|
|
|
|
|
Antonio Ramos
Pedrueza |
Ramos Pedrueza was an
attorney who was dispatched by the Mexican government to aid Owang (Owyan) King and Arthur
Bassett in their investigation. He produced his own report detailing his
interviews with over 100 people. |
|
|
The New York Times |
The New York Times
performed its own investigation into the matter, publishing their findings in
several articles. |
Articles (compiled
into one file for ease of access) |
|
|
|
|
|
Diplomatic Cables
Between Mexico, China, Japan and the United States |
Numerous telegrams
were sent both internally and externally by the governments involved in or
with an interest in the massacre. There are also
numerous telegrams sent between U.S. government offices, some of which
referenced the massacre and some of which just focused on the violence and
damages resulting from the revolution, with a particular emphasis on how it
affected U.S. interests in Mexico. These provide some additional background
details on the circumstances surrounding the massacre. |
U.S.
State Department Cables compiled in Papers Relating To
The Foreign Relations Of The United States (Washington: Government Printing
Office, 1918) and Papers Relating To The Foreign Relations Of The United States (Washington: Government Printing
Office, 1919) under the sections entitled Protection Of
Chinese Subjects In Mexico By
American Diplomatic And Consular Officers. Temporary
Refuge Granted. Waiver Of Exclusion Act. |
|
The Peking Daily News |
The Peking Daily
News, an English language newspaper printed in China, attempted to explain to
those residing in China what had happened in Torreón. Their articles give an
idea of what the citizens of China back in their homeland would have known
about the massacre. |
Articles
(compiled into one file for ease of access). |
|
|
|
|
|
Mexican Newspaper
Accounts |
Various newspapers
from Mexico, compiled to give an idea of how the general Mexican public were
presented the events of the massacre. |
In Progress:
Currently have about 80 articles (and growing) that are being prepared for
the website. |
|
U.S. Newspaper
Accounts |
Various newspapers
from the United States, compiled to give an idea of how the general U.S.
public were presented the events of the massacre. |
In Progress |
|
Louise Gates |
Gates was a child
living in Sierra Mojada, Coahuila at the time of
the massacre, later moving to the United States with her family for safety.
She discusses the massacre on pp.14-17 of her interview. |
Interview with Louise
Gates by Sarah E. John, 1978, "Interview no. 726," Institute of
Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso. |
|
|
|
|
|
Lebbeus Wilfley &
Arthur Bassett |
Wilfley and Bassett
were from the law firm that was hired by the Chinese to pursue legal remedies
from Mexico. Bassett participated in the production of several books on the
incident. These books focused on their initial investigation into the
massacre (linked above), their research and legal strategy which suggested
that the current Mexican government was responsible for the deaths and damage
and a description showing the extent of the damages. |
Memorandum
on the Law and the Facts in the Matter of the Claim of China against Mexico
for Losses of Life and Property Suffered by Chinese Subjects at Torreón on
May 13, 14, and 15, 1911 (Mexico: American Book and Printing Company,
1911). Memorandum
Showing Extent of Destruction of Life and Property of Chinese Subjects During
the Recent Revolution in Mexico and Mexico's Responsibility Therefor,
Together with Citation of Authorities (Mexico & San Francisco: American Book and Printing
Company, n.d.).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Emilio Madero |
Madero was the
brother of Francisco Madero (whose contested election the Mexican Revolution
was being fought over) and the leader of the Maderista
forces that invaded Torreón. He convened an investigation and took steps to
collect a record of the damages so that compensation could be made by the
government. |
Statement
Of Emilio Madero Inviting The Public To Make Claims For Reparations |
|
Francisco I. Madero |
To handle the growing
requests for damages due to the revolution, Francisco Madero established a
commission to handle the claims. Its main duties included examining and
verifying the claims submitted to the Treasury Department and then advising
the Ministry of Finance as to the legal validity of such claims and, where
appropriate, the amount of the indemnification to which the claimants may be
entitled. This commission was scheduled to be in operation from July 1,
1911-December 31, 1911. |
Rules for the
Reclamation Commission in Diario Oficial,
Tomo CXIV, Friday, June 30, 1911, No. 53 |
|
The Mexican Senate
Foreign Relations Committee |
This was the decision
of a committee appointed to advise the Mexican Senate on whether they should
accept the terms of the joint agreement between China or not. They voted to
not accept the terms. |
Report of the
Mexican Senate Foreign Relations Committee |
|
Chinese & Mexican
Governments |
Despite the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee’s negative vote, the Mexican government agreed to
pay China for the damages and deaths caused to the Chinese in Torreón. The
first joint agreement was signed on December 16, 1911 and agreed to pay
$3,100,000.00 pesos with a promised payment date of by July 1, 1912. |
|
|
|
When this date passed
without payment a second agreement was signed on December 13, 1912. |
|
|
|
As part of this
second agreement there is an existing document by Francisco I. Madero
appointing a plenipotentiary who could sign on behalf of Mexico. |
Instrument
Of Full Powers Appointing A Plenipotentiary For The Second Protocol Agreement |
|
|
As of January 5, 2026
payment has never been made. |
Original
signed
Chinese copy of the Protocols, stored in the Archives
of The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) |
|
U.S. Congress |
In 2011, exactly one
hundred years after the Torreón Massacre, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution
acknowledging that it was wrong and deeply regretted its 19th and
20th century legislation against the Chinese. This was followed in
2012 by a U.S. House of Representatives resolution expressing regret for the
U.S.’s past discriminatory laws. |
S.Res.201
- A resolution expressing the regret of the Senate for the passage of
discriminatory laws against the Chinese in America, including the Chinese
Exclusion Act. 112th Congress (2011-2012) H.Res.683
- Expressing the regret of the House of Representatives for the passage of
laws that adversely affected the Chinese in the United States, including the
Chinese Exclusion Act. 112th Congress (2011-2012) |
|
Mexican Government
(López Obrador Administration) |
In May of 2021, one
hundred and ten years after the massacre, Mexican President Andrés Manuel
López Obrador held a public ceremony in Torreón officially asking the Chinese
for forgiveness for the events of the Torreón Massacre. |
Request For Forgiveness For Wrongs Against The Chinese
Community In Mexico, From Torreón, Coahuila |
For More Original Sources See
There
are reported to be six large files containing documents on the subject at the Archivo Genaro Estrada de la Secretaría
de Relaciones Exteriores
(National Archives) in Mexico City, Records # 13-2-34 “S.R.E. Sección de América, Asia y Oceanía,
año 1911. Reclamaciones Extranjeras. Chinos en Torreón, su
asesinato”.
There are also possibly records at the Archivo Municipal de Torreón “Eduardo Guerra” in
Torreón, Mexico.
Records
of the Department of State Relating To The Chinese Question In Mexico,
1910-1939 {RDS-C], Record Group 59, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Records
of the Department of State Relating to Internal Affairs of 1910-1929 [RDS-M],
Microcopy 274, roll 161, Record Group 59, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Records
of the Department of State Relating to the Chinese Question in Mexico,
1910-1929, on microfilm at the University Of Arizona
Library
Books/Articles Written About The
Event
Read
These First:
Jacques,
Leo M. Dambourges. The Chinese Massacre in Torreón
(Coahuila) in 1911. Arizona
and the West 16, no. 3 (1974): 233-246.
Puig Llano, Juan. Entre
el río Perla y el Nazas: la China decimonónica y sus braceros emigrantes, la
colonia china de Torreón y la matanza de 1911. Consejo Nacional para la
Cultura y las Artes, 1993.
Esparza Cárdenas, Rodolfo. Los
Archivos de la Desolación. Archivo Municipal De Torreón, 2021.
Additional
Resources:
Castañón Cuadros, Carlos. 303: La Matanza de Chinos en Torreon. R.
Ayuntamiento de Torreon, 2021.
Cumberland, Charles C. The Sonora Chinese and the Mexican
Revolution. The Hispanic
American Historical Review 40, no. 2 (1960): 191-211.
Delgadillo, Juan A. La masacre olvidada: la matanza de Chinos en Torreón. Humanitas
Digital 34 (2007): 101-128.
He, Botao.
Racial Violence
Beyond the Revolution: Chinese Migrants in the Making of the Mexican State.
Stanford Digital Repository, 2025.
Herbert, Julián. The House of the Pain of Others: Chronicle of a Small
Genocide.
Graywolf Press, 2019.
Muñoz Yañez, Brenda Azucena. Sang: propuesta
para un documental sobre la matanza de chinos en Torreón. Repositorio
Nacional Conacyt.
Ornelas, Julio
Enríquez. Sinofobia a la vuelta de siglo: la matanza de chinos en Torreón, México. Textos
Híbridos 6.1 (2018).
Pérez Jiménez, Marco Antonio. La matanza de chinos en Torreón, Coahuila
(1911) ¿un acontecimiento espontáneo?: los posibles vínculos entre los actores
y la élite Revolucionaria.
Pérez Jiménez, Marco Antonio. Raza
nación y revolución: La matanza de chinos en Torreón,
Coahuila, mayo de 1911. Universidad de las Américas
Puebla (UDLAP), 2006.
Puig Llano, Juan. La
Matanza De Chinos Torreon En 1911. (The original thesis
Puig wrote for his Bachelor’s degree which would
serve as the basis for his Entre El Rio Perla Y El Nazas.)
Ramos Pedrueza,
Antonio. Memoria. Hechos relativos
de la matanza de chinos en
Torreón el día 15 de mayo de 1911, y protocolo del 16 de septiembre de
1911, prometiendo indemnización.
Sin pie de imprenta (s.p.i.),
México, 1911 (perhaps titled as “Memoria hechos relativos a la matanza de chinos en Torreón y el protocolo de 16 de diciembre de
1911, prometiendo indemnización
por la matanza”) *I have
not examined this but I believe it would be the investigation of
Ramos Pedrueza, or, certainly based upon it. A copy is apparently in the National
Library of Mexico. The entry says it is only 10 pages so it very likely is
a copy of Ramos Pedrueza’s investigation.
Romero, Robert Chao. The Chinese in Mexico,
1882-1940. University of
Arizona Press, 2011.