在1876年Lerdo再度当选，击败迪亚斯（Diaz）。 1876年，迪亚斯反抗政府并宣布计划推翻 Lerdo 自立为总统。迪亚斯推翻原政府后，Lerdo逃离该国，迪亚斯成为新的总统。从而开始了超过三十年（1876年到1911年）的独裁统治，这个时期的相对繁荣与和平，该国的基础设施大为改善，这有赖外国投资。
接下来的执政者是狄亚兹（Jose de la Cruz Porfirio Diaz），执政达55年之久（1876-1911），在他执政的期间，为了追求经济成长与社会秩序，实行专制独裁，打压所有的反对言论。然而不可讳言的是，狄亚兹造就了墨西哥前所未有的经济荣景。但是长期的执政及独裁政治，终于导致反对人士的反扑，不过反对势力呈三足鼎立，未能整合，耗损大量国力于内战。
In 1876 Lerdo was re-elected, defeating Porfirio Díaz in the elections. Díaz rebelled against the government with the proclamation of the Plan de Tuxtepec, in which he opposed reelection, in 1876. Díaz managed to overthrow Lerdo, who fled the country, and was named president.
Díaz became the new president. Thus began a period of more than thirty years (1876–1911) during which Díaz was the strong man in Mexico. This period of relative prosperity and peace is known as the Porfiriato. During this period, the country's infrastructure improved greatly thanks to increased foreign investment. However, the period is also characterized by social inequality and discontent among the working classes.