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Emiliano Zapata by Unknown author from
Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata was a Mexican revolutionary. He was known for his fight against corruption. He played an important part in bringing the corruption and violent dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz to an end. But in the year 1919, he was assassinated.
The then president was believed to be behind Zapata’s death. The president was a very ambitious politician and thought that Emiliano’s popularity among the people would oust him from power.
1. Emiliano Zapata championed agrarianism
Emiliano Zapata by Mediateca from
The revolutionary, Emiliano Zapata advocated agrarianism. It is a social or political movement designed to bring about land reform or to improve the economic status of the farmers.
He also participated in guerrilla actions during the Mexican revolution. He was the leader of the Liberation Army of the south. This was a very crucial revolutionary unit and it was named Zapatistas. On April 10 in 1919, Zapata was murdered.
2. Emiliano Zapata was born a leader
Emiliano was born on august 8, 1879 in the Anenecuilico area in Morelos. He was born at a time when there were a lot of repressions of the peasant communities. The small landowning class had the monopoly of land and water resources for sugarcane production under the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz. He was orphaned at the age of 17.
He started his revolutionary path at 18 years. He was arrested for participating in a peasant protest in his village against haciendas that had seized their plantations. He continued to be upset with the treatment of the peasants which created a desire to change the situation and hence joined the Mexican army.
He stayed there for only six months before his discharge to a landowner to train his horses in Mexico City. By the year 1909, his leadership skills were recognized and he was called to his birth village Anenecuilco and elected as village council board president.
3. Zapata Emiliano helped in solving early agrarian battles
Emiliano Zapata by Bain News Service from
Emiliano was a man of the people and he became an important person in Anenecuilico village. This village was where his family lived for many generations and become part of the struggles of the local peasant farmers. The situation was a result of various disagreements between the villagers and the landowners.
The main issues were over theft of their land. There was an extreme case where the conflict led to the landowner setting the village on fire in response to unending protests. This was resolved by Emiliano and the land was returned to haciendas. This didn’t settle the matter as the struggle was an ongoing one.
In another instance, peaceful treaties failed and Emiliano used force to take back the land that had been seized by haciendas and distributed it among themselves. Emiliano continued to fight for the peasants for many years thereon.
He used the ancient title deeds to establish claims over disputed land and also pressured the governor of the area to enact his authority. Due to the favoritism and slow response from the government, Emiliano often took matters into his own hands. He would use force to obtain any disputed land and thereafter distribute it back to his people.
4. He teamed with Madero to overthrow the leadership of Diaz
This revolution began when the then president Porfirio Diaz was under threat of the candidacy of Francisco Madero. He had lost the election to Diaz in 1910 but left the country and declared himself the president and later returned to confront Diaz.
Emiliano saw this as an opportunity to promote the land reform issues in Mexico that were a big concern to him. He then allied with Madero though he had his doubts about Madero. He cleared the doubts when Madero promised to tackle the land reform issues. This was a milestone for Emiliano and his people.
5. Emiliano became the general of the Liberation Army of the South
Emiliano Zapata and his troops by Unknown author from
In the year 1910 Emiliano joined the campaign against President Diaz. He became the general of the Liberation Army of the South. The army won the six-day battle and captured Cuautla in May 1911. This made the then president Diaz’s grab of power very slim.
This battle was the most terrible six days of the whole revolutionary. It was requested by the Zapatistas. This led to the withdrawal of the Diaz men and the Zapata forces took control of the town. President Diaz resigned and left for Europe. He left behind a provisional to take over.
6. Emiliano disagreed with Francisco Madero
After winning the battle and dethroning President Diaz, Francisco Madero returned to Mexico City in great victory. Emiliano then met with him to remind him about his land reform promises.
Madero was hesitant to honor his word but more concerned about the disarmament of Zapata鈥檚 guerrillas. He offered Emiliano money to buy lands if he ensured the disarmament of his troops. Emiliano declined the offer but went ahead to disarm his allies. He later stopped because the government kept sending the military to deal with his foot soldiers.
7. Emiliano Zapata came up with the plan Ayala
The revolution started to deepen and the relationship between Madero and Emiliano worsened with each passing day. These were the effects of his refusal to accept Madero’s offers.
Emiliano’s stubbornness made Madero appoint a governor who supported plantation owners’ rights at the expense of the peasant farmers. Emiliano was more angered causing a major drift between Emiliano and Madero. This led Emiliano to flee to the mountains days after Madero was declared the president of Mexico on November 1911.
Zapata was never short of ideas so he developed an alternative scheme, called Ayala. Madero’s incapability to fulfill his original land reform promises was the cause of this plan.
With the plan of Ayala in place, the revolution was renewed against Madero. The plot was to appoint a provisional president for some time until a legitimate election. Or a pledge to get back the stolen land area held by the haciendas and return it to the farmers. Any hacienda that refused to give back the land would be forcefully taken without any recompense.
8. Emiliano Zapata refused to form ties with General Victoriano Huerta
Emiliano Zapata and his staff by Crizztobal from
A Zapata revolution was ongoing in the year 1913 when general Victoriano Huerta was almost killed. The then president Francisco Madero took control of the country.
Huerta then approached Zapata to merge their troops. But Zapata denied the offer due to his stubborn nature. This prevented Huerta from sending his troops to confront the guerrillas of the north. Huerta then left the country in July 1914.
9. He was assassinated by the federal government
At the time leading to his assassination, Zapata had lost control of the state. His supporters were massacred or shipped to serve as slaves elsewhere, leaving him no fan base. The advantage of occupying the federal troops allowed them time to plan a counterattack and re-establish the Zapatistas by the end of 1916.
Outside Morelos, people were getting tired of constant wars and violence. Also, the influenza epidemic claimed almost 25% of the population. He began negotiating with potential federal Colonel Jesus Guajardo with an offer to defect with men and weapons.
Emiliano decided to put to test Guajardo to determine if he was sincere. He agreed to meet him and that’s when he was greeted with a hail of bullets that took him down.
10. Emiliano’s legacy lives on to modern day
Zapata’s influence still has an impact today. Especially in his hometown in Mexico. Though Mexico has not yet applied the land reforms he wished for, he is appreciated as a visionary who fought for his countrymen.
Emiliano Zapata was firm with what he stood for. The people of Mexico celebrate his achievements because he was the voice of the less privileged. A revolutionary
indeed and his heritage lives on for generations.
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