When President Benito Juárez created the first national police force of Mexico, "Los Rurales" (the Rural Police) in 1861 their official uniform was based on the charro outfits of the infamous Platenados (silver) bandit gangs. In fact, many bandits enlisted in this new police force, primarily because President Juárez and his Constitutional government, whose funds were limited, had to enlist bandit gangs to fight, first in the Civil War of Reform (1857-1860) and then against the ensuing French Intervention (1861-1867). The charro uniform was all about maintaining a special macho image. The wearer of a charro outfit was supposed to be seen as an excellent horseman, marksman, and lover, although very few Rurales actually were all three, according to historians like Paul J. Vanderwood. For decades it was believed that General Porfirio Díaz, the "presidential dictator" of Mexico for thirty-five years (1876-1911) created the Rurales until the truth about Juárez's role was discovered in the national archives. Therefore, one can argue that the charro uniform was important in Mexican culture prior to the Mexican Revolution (1911-1920). The Rurales were disbanded in 1914 by President Venustiano Carranza, during the Mexican Revolution.