Porfirio Diaz's contributions to the material prosperity of his country pulled Mexico out of its stagnant position, and in this prosperity one of the major factors was rapid development of Mexican rail transportation facilities. Thanks to Diaz's progression, not even his greatest enemies could deny the success that quickly followed his movement. When Diaz first took office there were only two small railroad lines, and with this advancement, Mexico expanded over nineteen thousand miles of railroads. As a result of Diaz's success, the railroads promoted both growth and underdevelopment, securing Mexico as a state. Before the advent of the railroad, dirt paths and highways, built by the early Spaniards, were the primary form of transportation for modern Mexicans. Both forms of transportation, which proved not only timely, but also expensive, constituted obstacles to the development and expansion of the country's great resources. According to the Mexican Railways, “mulls and wagons averaged fifteen to eighteen miles per day” (Powell, 94). For this inefficient and timely reason, Mexico was stuck in a stagnant position, until the arrival of the railroads. How could Mexico have grown economically, politically and industrially when the entire country is running in slow motion? As a result, Mexican transportation by any means was not accompanied by comfort and pleasure. Mexico's worn out highways were a factor that most Mexicans tried to avoid, for one main reason; the natural causes of deterioration of Mexico's highways made travel long and uncomfortable. An early traveler to Mexico explains, “I have traveled on rough roads in my time, but never such a road as this” (Powell, 97). ...... half of the document ...... In this era of progress toward complete stabilization, Mexico still lacked better educational opportunities. Mexico was a state made up of Indians and people of mixed blood and, yet, illiteracy and educational facilities were extremely low. To stay on the path of prosperity created by Diaz, it was up to the next leader "Madero" to pay due attention to the needs of the common people. Works Cited Fred, W. Powell. "The Railways of Mexico." Stratford Co. Boston. 1921 Osgood, Hardy. "The Revolution and the Railways of Mexico." Dean of the University of California. 1934The Journal of Economic History, vol. 39, No. 4 (December 1979), pp. 939-960Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Economic History AssociationRock. "Story 8 Reader." University of California Santa Barbara. pp. 105-109