Haiti was the first Latin-American nation to gain independence in 1804 from France. This result inspired several nations in the region in their struggle for independence. In 1816, Mexican General Martín Javier Mina y Larrea traveled to Haiti to gain support for Mexico's independence from Spain.[1] Consular relations between Haiti and Mexico were established in 1882 with formal diplomatic relations being established in 1929.[2] In 1934, a Mexican diplomatic office was opened in Port-au-Prince and in 1943 the diplomatic office was elevated to an embassy. That same year, Haiti opened an embassy in Mexico City.[2]
Between the years 1957–1986, Haiti was ruled by President François Duvalier and later by his son, Jean-Claude Duvalier. During this time period, several high level Haitian politicians, students and activists sought refuge in the Mexican embassy in the capital including former politician and author, Gérard Pierre-Charles who spent 26 years living in Mexico.[3] In February 1991, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide came to power. He was later toppled in a coup d'état in September 1991 and forced to flee the country. That same month, Aristide's Prime Minister René Préval sought refuge in the Mexican embassy where he remained for eleven months until being granted safe-conduct and fled to Mexico. René Préval would later become President of Haiti in February 1996 – 2001 and again in 2006 – 2011.[4]
In January 2010, Haiti experienced a 7.0 earthquake. Like several countries, Mexico responded by providing food and other essential emergency aid. Soon following the earthquake, over 1,300 Mexican medical workers arrived to Haiti along with 15,000 tons of humanitarian aid and over 51 thousand tents to provide temporary shelter.[5] Mexican soldiers also partook in search and rescue. Since 2010, the Mexican government has given over $8 million USD in financial assistance to the Haitian government and people.[6]Explanation:
