Porfirio Díaz is a complicated figure in Mexican history. He first became famous as a military hero, especially for his role against the French Intervention, including the Battle of Puebla and later campaigns to restore the republic.

He later ruled Mexico for decades during the Porfiriato, a period associated with modernization and economic growth but also authoritarianism, inequality, and repression. For this deck, he is included mainly as a celebrated military contributor and unavoidable historical figure, while citizenship learners should remember that his long rule also helped provoke the Mexican Revolution.