I have made arrangements to go see the tomb of Emiliano Zapata, as well as his birthplace in Anenecuilco, south of Cuautla. in the Mexican State of Morelos. The car will be here in a few mins. Adios, amigo's........
From Wikipedia:
Emiliano Zapata was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution. He is
considered one of the national heroes of Mexico: towns, streets and
housing developments named "Emiliano Zapata" are common across the
country. His image has been used on
Mexican banknotes.
People have long taken different sides on their evaluation of Zapata
and his followers: some considered them bandits, but to others they were
true revolutionaries who worked for the peasants. Presidents
Porfirio Díaz and
Venustiano Carranza called Zapata a womanizer, barbarian, terrorist and bandit. Conservative media nicknamed Zapata "The Attila of the South".
Many peasants and indigenous Mexicans admired Zapata as a practical revolutionary whose populist battle cry, "
Tierra y Libertad" (Land and Liberty), was spelled out in the
Plan de Ayala
for land reform. He fought for political and economic emancipation of
the peasants in southern Mexico. Zapata's trademark saying was, "It's
better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."
[14] Zapata was killed in 1919 by Gen.
Pablo González and his aide, Col.
Jesús Guajardo,
in an elaborate ambush. Guajardo set up the meeting under the pretext
of wanting to defect to Zapata's side. At the meeting, Gonzalez's men
assassinated Zapata.
Zapatistas
"Zapatista" originally referred to a member of the revolutionary
guerrilla movement founded about 1910 by Zapata. His
Liberation Army of the South (Ejército Libertador del Sur) fought during the Mexican Revolution for the
redistribution of agricultural land.
Zapata and his army and allies, including Pancho Villa, fought for
agrarian reform in Mexico. Specifically, they wanted to establish
communal land rights for Mexico's
indigenous population, which had mostly lost its land to the wealthy elite of European descent.
The majority of Zapata's supporters were indigenous peasants from
Morelos and surrounding areas, but intellectuals from urban areas also joined the
Zapatistas and played a significant part in their movement, specifically the structure and communication of the
Zapatista
ambitions. Zapata had received a limited education in Morelos, only
going to school for a few years. Educated supporters helped express his
political aims. The urban intellectuals were known as "city boys" and
were predominantly young males. They joined the
Zapatistas for many reasons, including curiosity, sympathy, and ambition.
Zapata agreed that intellectuals could work on political strategy, but he had the chief role in proclaiming
Zapatista ideology. The city boys also provided medical care, helped promote and instruct supporters in
Zapatista
ideology, created a plan for agrarian reform, aided in rebuilding
villages destroyed by government forces, wrote manifestos and sent
messages from Zapata to other revolutionary leaders. Zapata's
compadre
Otilio Montaño was one of the most prominent city boys. Before the
Revolution Montaño was a professor. During the Revolution he taught
Zapatismo, recruited citizens and wrote the
Plan de Ayala for land reform. Other well-known city boys were
Abraham Martínez,
Manuel Palafox,
Antonio Díaz Soto y Gama,
Pablo Torres Burgos,
Gildardo Magaña,
Dolores Jiménez y Muro,
Enrique Villa and
Genaro Amezcua.
Zapatista women
Since Zapata's political ambitions and campaign were usually local, women were able to aid the
Zapatista soldiers from their homes. There were also female
Zapatista
soldiers who served from the beginning of the revolution. When Zapata
met with President Madero on July 12, 1911, he was accompanied by his
troops. Among them were female soldiers, including officers. Some women
also led bandit gangs before and during the Revolution. Women joined the
Zapatistas as soldiers for various reasons, including revenge for dead family members or to perform raids. Perhaps the most popular
Zapatista female soldier was
Margarita Neri, who was a commander. Women fought bravely as
Zapatista
soldiers and some were killed in battle, and long after the revolution
ended many continued to wear men's clothing and carry pistols. Col.
María de la Luz Espinosa Barrera was one of the few whose service was formally recognized with a pension as a veteran of the Mexican Revolution.
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