Was Porfirio Díaz's son-in-law there? Was it 42? This is the story of the controversial dance of the 41

That if Emiliano Zapata was homosexual, that if Amalia Díaz told everything in her diary about the relationships that her partner Ignacio de la Torre and Mier had, that if this character was involved in the event, many myths have unleashed the controversial Dance of the 41 , which Netflix re-released today; however, little is known about what actually happened during that event.

Various researchers and historians have carried out various analyzes and revisions on what was announced in the newspaper headlines in those days and on the version that some had of what happened at that dance where they arrested 41 men, a number which for the LGBT community could imply one of the most relevant historical precedents in the country.

What is the Ball of the 41?

It all began on the night of Sunday, November 17, 1901, when several men who wore characteristic clothing suitable for a large party arrived in distinguished carriages. party: half of that audience was dressed as a woman and wore wigs, false breasts, earrings, embroidered corn and on their faces they had painted large dark circles and colored plates.

According to the text Crónica de un baile clandestine by Mílada Bazant, a researcher at El Colegio Mexiquense, the date for the party was in what is now known as Madero, in house number 4 on Calle de la Paz, today Jesús Carranza, which was empty and was rented for that special occasion, where a supposed baptism was to be held.

But it failed... They were halfway through the party when the gendarmes arrived. A man dressed as a woman, with his skirt gathered up, his face and lips full of shave and very sweet and finicky of speech opened the door for them and instead of joining them in the celebration they arrested all the people who were there.

The first newspapers to publish the news that day were La Tribuna and El Universal, later the reports from other newspapers were unleashed with articles that ranged from humor to wit, one of them was La Gacetilla Callejera, where Guadalupe Posada He caricatured that scene.

According to the Colegio Mexiquense researcher, the name of Ignacio de la Torre or any other memorable character does not appear anywhere, since it is said that most of the attendees at the meeting were upper class men.

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In fact, a columnist wrote in El Popular the story of the events in a literary form, in a satirical style, with dialogues and it took him three or four days to find out what had happened and he wrote an article in the form of a dialogue of two comadres that was titled The dance of the 41. The baptism of a baby and the raffle of a Pepito. An old woman among the chickens. Curly Whiskers.

The text Crónica de un baile clandestine exposes that the commissioner, Miguel Palacios, determined that the dancers should be sent to the 24th battalion headquarters, where they were shaved and dressed in clothes that are given to recruits, yes, despite that what they did was not a crime.

The real names of the people involved never appeared, only 12 of the 41 people who were in that event were punished, despite the fact that the newspapers affirmed that the governor of the Federal District, Guillermo de Landa y Escandón had shown himself inflexible.

The twelve punished were going to be taken to Yucatán due to the casualties that the Army was having due to illness, which was trying to subdue the Mayan people; however, in the end the men were led to the construction of public works in that same state.

The men arrived at the port of Progreso where they dedicated themselves to lighting the fire, others to scrub pots and chop onions, and still others to sweep the bedrooms.

What happened to the 42?

According to the text by Mílada Bazant, it is not known what really happened to the men who were at the ball, although rumor has it that some of them the best families in Chetumal are descendants of that contingent that arrived in Progreso. While others returned to Mexico City.

Who was Ignacio de la Torre y Mier?

Ignacio de la Torre y Mier was the husband of Amada Díaz, daughter of Porfirio Díaz and according to documentary sources he was number 42 in the dance of 41; However, due to the influence that the president maintained, there was never a trace that he could have been at that party.

De la Torre y Mier was an opponent in the administration of President Francisco I. Madero.

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