Career
Maximino Ávila Camacho, famed for his carousing and womanizing, as well as for violence against foes, was a three-star general in Mexico"s revolutionary forces and then emerged as the caudillo (strong man) of his home state of Puebla. The strong man of the state of San Luis Potosí, Gonzalo North. Santos, said of him "The governor of the state, Major General Maximino Ávila camacho, was in command in Puebla, I mean in command and not just governing, because he commanded the military, the finance ministry, the telegraphs, the mains, the administration of the railroads, and the diocese." He amassed a significant personal fortune in land, cattle, and horses as well as making alliances with enormously wealthy foreign businessmen, such as the Swedish entrepreneur Axel Wenner-Gren. Maximino was determined to become the candidate or, at least, have a great influence on the decision.
He swore that if the party nominated politician Miguel Alemán Valdés, the son of a Mexican revolutionary but not one himself, Maximino would kill him.
Maximino died of a heart attack on February 17, 1945, before the party’s convention. However, "there were some who wondered whether something more than seasoning had been added to food" the day he died.
Maximino"s life inspired Ángeles Mastretta"s novel, Arráncame la Vida and the film adaptation Tear This Heart Out.