Mexican history: A love song and a gas explosion

In this episode of The History Hour, Mexico's past unfolds through a tapestry of emotional, political, and cultural milestones. At the heart of the story is Consuelo Velázquez, the composer of 'Bésame Mucho,' whose love song—written during WWII—became a global phenomenon, symbolizing the longing of separated lovers. Her son reveals she claimed to have written it without ever having kissed anyone, a poignant myth that underscores the song's romantic mythos. The episode then shifts to the 1984 San Juanico gas explosion, one of the deadliest industrial disasters in history, where a gas leak ignited a chain reaction that killed over 650 people and left survivors like Virginia Martinez-Tayez with lifelong trauma. The narrative continues with Mexico’s democratic breakthrough: the 2000 election that ended 71 years of one-party rule, masterminded by marketer Francisco Ortiz using bold, modern tactics that turned Vicente Fox into a political superhero. Finally, the episode celebrates the 2014 constitutional reform that granted indigenous women in Mexico the right to vote and run for office—led by activist Euphrosina Cruz Mendoza, who defied centuries of patriarchal tradition. The story also traces how Mexico’s role in filming Titanic, including building a massive water tank in Baja California, helped create one of the most successful films ever, while a football scandal in 1988—where players falsified ages—led to a FIFA ban that some still believe cursed Mexico’s World Cup campaigns.