The revolution in Tlaxcala

Unlike many other states, Tlaxcala was largely unaffected by the military aspects of the Mexican revolution. However, it was impacted by the proliferation of issues from the Convencion and Carrancista factions. On 17 September 1914 the Prefecto Político of Huamantla, Luis Guillén, informed the governor that notes of five different types were in circulation (he enclosed examples), with some merchants refusing them and others each having their own preference, so that buyers had to shop in various places at the merchants’ whim and against their own wishes. He asked for instructions and was told to take whatever measures he deemed necessary^{AHTlax, Fondo Histórico, Sección Revolución Régimen Obregonista, Serie Hacienda y Guerra, Caja 45, Exp. 35}.

On 24 October 1914, the governor and military commander, Máximo Rojas, told the Presidente Municipal of Apizaco, to issue a circular^{[text needed]} informing businesses that the Obligaciones Provisionales were of forced circulation^{AHTlax, Fondo Histórico, Sección Revolución Régimen Obregonista, Serie Hacienda y Guerra, caja 46, exp. 53}. Two days later the Presidente Municipal of Barron Escandón, Y. Mendoza, issued a similar circular^{[text needed]AHTlax, Fondo Histórico, Sección Revolución Régimen Obregonista, Serie Hacienda y Guerra, caja 46, exp. 53 letter Y. Mendoza, Barron Escandon, to Comandante Militar y Gobernador, Tlaxcala}. These will have referred to the serial numbers outlined by the Secretaría de Hacienda in a declaration on 15 October 1914.

Following Carranza’s decree ordering the change of the Monclova issue on 25 January 1915 the Tesorero General, A. M. Machorro, sent $127 in Monclova and Chihuahua notes, to the Secretario General^{AHTlax, Fondo Histórico, Sección Revolución Régimen Obregonista, Serie Hacienda y Guerra, caja 48, exp. 33}, perhaps an indication of the extent that these notes circulated in Tlaxcala. On 12 February the Subsecretario General del Gobierno copied Carranza’s decree to the Presidente Municipal of Zacatelco^{AHTlax, Fondo Histórico, Sección Revolución Régimen Obregonista, Serie Hacienda y Guerra, caja 50, exp. 60}.

By March 1915 merchants were refusing to accept Constitutionalist notes, on the pretext of not having any change. Since troops were being paid in this currency the governor and military commander, Alejo González, ordered businesses to take them.

On 8 September 1915 the Presidente Municipal of Zacatelco, Nicanor Serrano, wrote that in view of the difficulties caused by the fact that in Puebla people were refusing 20c cartones he wanted a list of issues that were of forced circulation. The Secretario General replied, on 17 September, that he was sending 25 copies of a notice (acuerdo)^{[text needed]} that the Governor had made on the subject^{AHTlax, Fondo Histórico, Sección Revolución Régimen Obregonista, Serie Hacienda y Guerra, caja 55, exp. 65}. It is not known if this notice referred merely to the cartones or to all issues: if the latter, it will have reproduced the Carrancista notice of 11 May.

People continued to use notes that had been declared invalid by the Carrancistas, such as the dos caritas, the revalidated Gobierno Provisional de México and other notes and the low number Gobierno Provisional de México notes that had been withdrawn, so on 23 October 1915 the governor reminded them of Carranza’s decrees of 27 November 1914 and 28 July 1915. He added that people who had made transactions with the illegal currency since the Carrancistas had recovered the district should repay with legal currency. Administrators and proprietors should also ensure that they paid their workers with the legitimate currency^{AHTlax, Fondo Histórico, Sección Revolución Régimen Obregonista, Serie Hacienda y Guerra, caja 57, exp. 61}.

On 5 January 1916 the government had to correct the alarm caused by the belief that the Ejército Constitucionalista issue was included in the prohibition of Chihuahua issues and became invalid on 31 December 1915. It referred to the circular núm. 48 of 1 December 1915 and warned that the Ejército Constitucionalista notes had to be accepted with the threat of a fine or imprisonment for those who refused (though it was wrong to suggest that there were $50 and $100 denominations). On 7 January, with his circular núm. 1, the Secretario General sent enough copies of this aviso to the various Presidentes Municipales with instructions to distribute them. This was acknowledged by Apizaco on 8 January, Tlaxco on 12 January and Huamantla on 14 January^{AHTlax, Fondo Histórico, Sección Revolución Régimen Obregonista, Serie Hacienda y Guerra, caja 60, exp. 5}.