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Flyer relating to the expropriation of foreign oil interests

ca 1938
Not on view
In March 1938, prompted by strikes against exploitation of the nation’s workers and resources, President Lázaro Cárdenas signed an order to expropriate the assets of foreign-owned oil companies in Mexico. He then created the state-owned firm Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) to give Mexico control of its oil. Surrounded by workers, Cárdenas is shown here signing the decree. The text below highlights his other achievements related to land redistribution, worker's unions, and public schools.



En marzo de 1938, en respuesta a las huelgas convocadas contra la explotación de los trabajadores y los recursos de la nación, el presidente Lázaro Cárdenas firmó una orden para expropiar los activos de las compañías petroleras de titularidad extranjera en México. Hecho esto, creó la empresa estatal Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) para dar a México el control de su petróleo. Cárdenas, rodeado de trabajadores, aparece aquí firmando el decreto. El texto destaca otros de sus logros, como la redistribución de las tierras, la creación de sindicatos y las escuelas públicas.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Flyer relating to the expropriation of foreign oil interests
  • Artist: Alfredo Zalce (Mexican, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán 1908–2003 Morelia)
  • Publisher: Taller de Gráfica Popular, Mexico City
  • Date: ca 1938
  • Medium: Linocut and letterpress on pink paper
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 13 9/16 × 8 7/8 in. (34.5 × 22.5 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1946
  • Object Number: 46.46.461
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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