Torreón massacre

Torreón massacre
Part of the Mexican Revolution
Mexican forces outside the Casino de la Laguna
Location	Torreón, Coahuila
Coordinates	25°32′21.66″N 103°26′55.08″W / 25.5393500°N 103.4486333°W / 25.5393500; -103.4486333Coordinates: 25°32′21.66″N 103°26′55.08″W / 25.5393500°N 103.4486333°W / 25.5393500; -103.4486333
Date	13–15 May 1911
Target	Chinese immigrants
Attack type	Massacre
Deaths	303 (see Casualties, below)
Perpetrators	Maderistas
No. of participants	4,500
Motive	Ethnic hatred

The Torreón massacre was a racially motivated massacre that took place on 13–15 May 1911 in the Mexican city of Torreón, Coahuila. Over 300 Chinese residents were killed by the revolutionary forces of Francisco I. Madero. A large number of Chinese homes and establishments were looted and destroyed.

Torreón was the last major city to be taken by the Maderistas during the Mexican Revolution. When the government forces withdrew, the rebels entered the city in the early morning and began a ten-hour massacre of the Chinese community. The event touched off a diplomatic crisis between China and Mexico, with the former demanding 30 million pesos in reparation. At one point it was rumored that China had even dispatched a warship to Mexican waters (the cruiser Hai Chi, which was anchored in Cuba at the time). An investigation into the massacre concluded that it was an unprovoked act of racial hatred.

Chinese immigration to Mexico began as early as the 17th century, with a number settling in Mexico City. Immigration increased when Mexican president Porfirio Díaz attempted to encourage foreign investment and tourism to boost the country's economy. The two countries signed a Treaty of Amity and Commerce in 1899; over time, the Chinese expatriates began to establish profitable businesses such as wholesale and retail groceries. By 1910, there were 13,200 Chinese immigrants in the country, many living in Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sinaloa, Sonora, and Yucatán.