Rebellion at the Fringe: Conspiracy, Surveillance, and State-Making in 1920s Mexico

Abstract

Abstract In 1925, rumors of an alleged international conspiracy to overthrow the state circulated in central-western Mexico. The reports prompted the country’s newly created Departamento Confidencial (Confidential Department) to begin surveilling former rebels and zealous Catholics in the region, as well as political exiles in the American Southwest. This article explores how the intelligence services helped consolidate institutional power after the Mexican Revolution (1910–20). The investigations uncovered well-organized propaganda campaigns that centered on generating support, organization, and information. These networks originated abroad and circulated in the small hamlets, towns, and metropolitan centers of the region. The widespread rumors reflected what ordinary people thought was credible and socially conceivable, while also nourishing the belief among locals that a rebellion would breakout against the state. Ultimately, this type of surveillance transformed how the central state interacted with, and came to produce knowledge of, its citizenry.