Learning the Rules of the Game

Few details escaped Lt Col Pablo Escandón y Barrón (1857–1926), a British public school educated socialite who served on the Mexican presidential staff from 1897 to 1911. As arbiter of precedence, the polyglot diplomat knew the ways of the beau monde, staged international conferences, and decorated government offices. ¹ For the 1909 Díaz-Taft interview in Ciudad Juárez, Escandón built a processional route flanked by whitewashed eagle-topped pilasters. Along it circu lated state landaus guarded by the Mexican hussars in their trademark horse hair crested polished gilded helmets (Vega 1909). As chief crafter of state pageantry, Escandón’s work went beyond smoke and mirrors; he served in the army, Congress, and as governor. Escandón also sat on the boards of banks, commercial firms, and social clubs, represented Mexico at George V’s coronation and at the 1900 Olympics (Ortega y Pérez Gallardo 1908–10, 3: 58–59 and Macías-González 2006: 83–108).