The Torreón massacre (Spanish: Matanza de chinos de Torreón) was a racially motivated massacre that took place on 13–15 May 1911 in the Mexican city of Torreón, Coahuila. Over 300 Asian Mexicans were killed by a local mob and the revolutionary forces of Francisco I. Madero, mostly Cantonese Mexicans and some Japanese Mexicans. A large number of Cantonese homes and shops were looted and destroyed.
Torreón was the last major city to be taken by the Maderistas during the Mexican Revolution. When the government forces withdrew, the rebels entered the city in the early morning and, along with the local population, began a ten-hour massacre of the Cantonese community. The event touched off a diplomatic crisis between Qing China and Mexico, with the former demanding 30 million pesos in reparation. At one point it was rumored that Qing China had even dispatched a warship to Mexican waters (the cruiser Hai Chi, which was anchored in Cuba at the time). An investigation into the massacre concluded that it was an unprovoked act of racism.
1911May, 15
More than 300 Chinese immigrants are killed in the Torreón massacre when the forces of the Mexican Revolution led by Emilio Madero take the city of Torreón from the Federales.
Choose Another Date
Events on 1911
- 14Jan
Amundsen's South Pole expedition
Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition makes landfall on the eastern edge of the Ross Ice Shelf. - 31May
Porfirio Díaz
The President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz flees the country during the Mexican Revolution. - 24Jul
Machu Picchu
Hiram Bingham III re-discovers Machu Picchu, "the Lost City of the Incas". - 29Aug
Native Americans in the United States
Ishi, considered the last Native American to make contact with European Americans, emerges from the wilderness of northeastern California. - 12Dec
Calcutta
Delhi replaces Calcutta as the capital of India.