After the general's death in 1915, Carmen remained in France for nearly two decades, living from investments in Mexican oil companies and rental income. She played an important role in the rituals of the Mexican colony in Paris, organizing memorial masses for Díaz and for the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Carmelita spent much of her time traveling around France and Spain, and frequently summered at her stepson Porfirio's chateau de Moulins, close to Landes-le-Gaulois.