Los Latinoamericanistas

Summer 2011

In the Spotlight:

“Modesto C. Rolland Family Reunion”: Justin Castro Guest Presentation in Querétaro

I was honored to be the guest speaker at a reunion of the descendants of engineer Modesto C. Rolland, June 2011, in Queretaro, QTO, MX.

I became interested in the life of Modesto C. Rolland early on in my investigations about the development of Mexican radio. He was the president of the Central Mexican Radio League in 1923, authored Mexico’s first broadcasting legislation, and had previously been the Oficial Mayor de Comunicaciones for Venustiano Carranza’s revolutionary government in 1914-1915.

What impressed me most about Rolland was how many aspects of modern Mexico he had helped construct and how long he remained an important part of Mexican industry and the Mexican government. He had taught as a professor during the Porfirio Díaz regime and the brief presidency of Francisco I. Madero. He was a communications leader, propagandists, and intellectual for the Constitutionalists, he was crucial to the agrarian policies of revolutionary Yucatan, he led the move to develop “free ports” in Mexico, he edited multiple newspapers, wrote patents on concrete, built the stadium in Jalapa (1926), was instrumental in the work on Tehuantepec 1920s-1940s, was Under Secretary of Communications during the Cardenas presidency, and was president of the port authority in the 1940s. In addition he built numerous houses and assisted in a number of important engineering projects. His political and engineering career spanned from 1905 to 1952! Especially impressive for such a turbulent period of Mexican history.

I was invited to speak by Modesto’s grandson, engineer Jorge C. Modesto Rolland. He e-mailed me after coming across a query on H-Net LatAm that I posted about Modesto Rolland. Since then we have collaborated much of our work together about Modesto's career. The life and times of Modesto C. Rolland is an ongoing side project of mine that I hope to turn into a full-length book after finishing my dissertation on the impact of early wireless communications in Mexico.

                                                                           Justin J. Castro