OBREGON, ALVARO (188o-1928), Mexican soldier and president, was born in the district of Alamos, Sonora, on Feb. 17, 1880. During his early life as a planter he became an advocate of land reforms to better the condition of the peons and Indians, and in 1912 he entered the services of Madero, a man of similar ideals. With Indian troops which he recruited, Obregon aided in suppressing the revolt of Orozco against Madero, and later he again took the field against Felix Diaz-whose successful revolt led to the downfall of Madero and the establishment of Huerta as provisional president. Obregon then joined the counter-revolu tion of Carranza who had remained true to Madero. After a string of victories culminating in the successful storming of Sinaloa and Culiacan and the capture of Guadalajara, the way to Mexico City was opened, and on Aug. 15, 1914, Obregon led the Carranza troops into the capital. Huerta fled.
In the struggle which arose between Carranza and Zapata and Villa, Obregon remained loyal to Carranza. He defeated Zapata finally at Pueblo in Jan. 1915. In April he conducted a campaign against Villa for the control of central Mexico and by winning the battles of Celaya and Leon forced Villa back to his mountain fastnesses. As leader of the radical wing of Carranza's followers and chief of the army. Obregon possessed power enough to force into the new Constitution of 1917, against Carranza's wishes. the famous article 27 which provided for the restoration of com munal lands to the Indian villages, limited the size of individual land holdings, deprived religious organizations of the right to hold lands and reserved to the Government the ownership of all mineral and petroleum resources. The new Constitution also provided
that no president should succeed himself, but in 1920 Carranza took steps to have himself retained in power, one of these steps being an order for the arrest of Obregon. Obregon escaped to Sonora where a revolt against Carranza was already in progress and put himself at the head of the troops. In a short time he was master of the situation and on Dec. 1, 1920, was elected president. He immediately adopted a friendly tone toward the United States and other foreign countries, and in 1923 the United States recognized his Government. His administration was made notable by many labour and agrarian reforms and by a sincere effort to carry the provisions of the 1917 Constitution into force. In 1924 he supported Calles, his minister of the Interior, for president. His opponents under de la Huerta charged fraud in the election and started a revolution. Obregon once more took the field, defeated the rebels and drove de la Huerta into exile. Obregon was again elected president on July 1, 1928, but on July 17 before taking office he was assassinated.
He wrote Ochomil kilametros en Cam papa (i917). See also J. A. Tamayo, El Gral, Obregon y la guerra (1922) ; E. J. Dillon, President Obregon, a World Reformer (5922) ; H. I. Priestly, "Calles and Obre On," California University Chronicle, vol. xxx. (1928).