matamoros

The Guardia Rural (Rurales) Based on the Spanish Guardia Civil model of a mobile rural police force organized along military lines they have been described variously as "bandits," "Mexican version of the Mounties" or "the world's most picturesque policemen." They were disbanded in 1914.

LOC's Country Studies article has them being founded in 1915, but without attribution for that fact. lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+mx0110)

The modern Guardia Rural dates officially from 1926, but was an amalgamation of the local militias that sprang up in the wake of the Agrarian Land Decree of 1915. These fellows, mounted, with sabers and carbines and lots and lots of silver braid, definitely look more like the earlier Federal era Rurales. My only concern as to identification would be the uniform color. The Rurales uniforms had dove grey sombreros and bolo jackets, with tan leather chaps over gray trousers, red ties, red rank insignia, and lots of silver braid (if anybody wants to hand color this pic.) Do the jackets and sombreros seem of different color? Or just different weight? Of course, just because they were disbanded in 1914 doesn't mean they ceased to exist. I can definitely imagine this company of Rurales reforming under the auspices of Tamaulipas as a state guard force. In Los Rurales de México (www.scribd.com/doc/122062594/Los-rurales-de-Mexico-por-Jo...) Elias states that after disbandment, many Rurales were simply incorporated in the new army while others joined up with Pancho Villa or Zapata. (page 23) Francisco Medina, however, supports the State Guard possibility Soon, in various parts of the Mexican Republic, new groups were formed called "Civil Defense Corps" which battled all kinds of local banditry - these Corps were active as part of the "National Guard" under the state governments until 1947. (www.almomento.mx/la-negra-historia-de-la-policia-rural/, translation my own)

Or - never mind. The University of Texas Robert Runyon Collection has the same picture. " This troop organized in Matamoros and fought for the Victoriano Huerto regime against the Constitutionalists and was scattered in the battle for the city in 1913. " So . . . photographer = Robert Runyon, date = circa May/June 1913

Thanks for the link to the Runyon photos. Oddly, it seems like you can only search that collection from the LOC site, though the images reside on the utexas site. Here's a companion photo, shot at about the same time: runyon.lib.utexas.edu/r/RUN00000/RUN00000/RUN00011.JPG This photo looks like it was taken a little further up the street, with a Mexican cavalry group in the foreground and these rurales past them further down the street. runyon.lib.utexas.edu/r/RUN00000/RUN00000/RUN00013.JPG

Evening public ledger., June 22, 1916, Night Extra, Image 18 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045211/1916-06-22/ed-... has a picture captioned "Bug Guns of Field Artillery Rushed to Mexico -- Battery E 5th United States Field Artillery, is seen inspecting one of its 4.7 inch guns on the other side of the Rio Grande. Eleven companies of coast artillery and 500 men of the First Battalion have been sent to augment the force."

Also in the Robert Runyon collection. Identified there as "A four point seven battery"

Also as "Fort Brown, Artillery Maneuvers"

Thanks to all of you for your reseach. We'll add some of the information to the record the next time we update.

Seguramente el apostar cañones en Brownsville, Texas, apuntando hacia Matamoros, Tamaulipas, era la estrategia que se tenía preparada para invadir México. Situación que culminó con la invasión de Veracruz por la Marina Norteamericana, el 21 de abril de 1914. Recuerde que la Marina Americana estaba apostada en aguas tampiqueñas depués del "incidente" de día 9 de abril. Estas fotos del 5 DE ABRIL, SEGURAMENTE DE 1914, hablan que Woodrow Wilson ya venía preparando la provocación y el conflicto armado con México. Bain News used the sticker to print month, day and year. Why is it blanck?

Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Refugio (Cathedral of Our Lady of Refuge) Google Street View: goo.gl/maps/KjCpy

Interesting how the Customs House is now a courtyard/parking lot.

Bellissimo scatto.