Motzorongo Plantation Company

The Motzorongo Plantation Company was an American-owned agricultural enterprise in Veracruz, Mexico, organized in 1902 by Dr. Herbert A. Parkyn and his father, James Parkyn, of Chicago. Both were associated with the Chicago School of Psychology, which they had establish, and applied its New Psychology principles of confidence, cooperation, and scientific management to business. Promoted through Parkyn’s magazine Suggestion, the venture was presented as a model of moral and industrial progress, combining large-scale agriculture with the New Thought ideals of mental science and practical success. Centered on a 165,000 acres (67,000 ha) estate featuring a modern sugar mill, coffee and rubber groves, and private rail connections, it was the largest American-controlled property in Mexico for many years.

The company gained international attention in April 1914 when reports claimed that General Victoriano Huerta’s troops had captured and executed twenty American employees of the Motzorongo Plantation. The alleged killings, relayed by Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan to Parkyn, sparked national outrage and brought the United States and Mexico to the brink of war before the reports were proven false and the prisoners released.