Anniversary of Mexican Revolution – 20th November

Mexican Revolution of 1910 and is celebrated, as an obligated day off, on the third Monday of November. On the day itself, 20th November, San Miguel de Allende along with the rest of Mexico will have parades similar to that of the Independence parade. In San Miguel de Allende, there will be people and colors on the streets, more than usual I mean. Sometimes, there are reenactments of selected events, sometimes a whole band of people dressed in and suited as revolutionaries. It is usually a cute treat for people who love children as parents dress up their children as revolutionary heroes and traditional dresses, complete with fake moustaches and huge sombreros as tribute to Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa. The history of Mexico, as all stories of the fight for freedom and independence, has been wrought with much violence and individual greed. It is the spirit of the people that prevails and it is fitting that the locals celebrate their local heroes. Popular history remembers the revolution as a progressive movement that ended an oppressive dictatorship and, returned power and land to the Mexican people. The Mexican Revolution was born out of a dissatisfaction against the political elite and the dictator, Porfirio Diaz. Although his economic policies favored commercial progress and Mexican produce, the benefits were spread only among members of the most privileged sectors, especially large landowners and industrial capitalists. By 1910, 85% of the land belonged to ‘Mexico’ but less than 1% of it to the people itself. The peasants were landless and jobless, and suffered daily from hunger and poverty. So, while the country enjoyed economic prosperity, there were dissatisfaction among the middle classes and hatred amongst the poorest groups in society. The Mexican Revolution of 1910 helped shape contemporary Mexico. It was not however a one time fight. It consisted of a series of revolutions and internal conflicts between various political leaders and military personnel between 1910 and 1920. There were huge numbers of fights and riots. After more than 30 years in power, Diaz had called for elections in 1910 but made a mockery of democracy when he imprisoned his most powerful opponent, Francisco Madero, who was a supporter of agrarian reforms, supporting of the peasantry and the principle of non-reappointment. Diaz won the election through fraud. The protests and peasant insurrection however, did not allow the old dictator to remain in power any longer and he chose exile in France. The hopes of Mexicans though were not realized as Madero was unable to maintain order. His assassination in 1913, shook the country and sparked a torrent of passionate and bloody power struggle that lasted several years…but that is another story. From the armies of peasants of the 1910 Mexican Revolution, emerged great military leaders, Francisco “Pancho” Villa and Emiliano Zapata. They are heroes of the Mexican people. It is because of theirs as well as the people’s struggle that a new constitution that enacted public control of natural resources,made education free and compulsory and the formation of labour unions was drafted in 1917, aiming to help and protect the people. Hence, the revolution lasted from 1910 to roughly 1917.

Emiliano Zapata is the Mexican rebel leader who said “It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.” A former sharecropper, he organized and led peasants during the battles of the Mexican Revolution, joining forces with Pancho Villa and others to fight the government of Porfirio Diaz. Zapata supported agrarian reform and land redistribution; his rallying cry was “Land and freedom!” Though Diaz was defeated, Zapata continued to resist subsequent government leaders as they were viewed as incompetent and did not realize the hopes and dreams of the Mexican people. He was ambushed and shot by Mexican troops in 1919. Zapata remains to this day a folk hero in Mexico.

It is said that Pancho Villa was a brutal modern-day version of Robin Hood. He is a hero to some and a villain to others. Born a peasant, Doroteo Arango was on the run from the law from an early age. According to legend, he shot to death a wealthy landowner who had raped his sister. He fled into the mountains and then joined a bandit gang led by Francisco “Pancho” Villa. When that Villa was killed, Arango took over his name and his gang. In 1910 the new Villa and his men joined the revolt against Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz and fought alongside Emiliano Zapata. The revolution succeeded, but a few years later shifting alliances made Villa an outlaw again. Over the next decade, he went back and forth the U.S.-Mexico border, robbing and rustling cattle to survive, with armies from both sides unable to capture him. Villa’s sympathy for peasants and his early battles against the corrupt Diaz regime made him popular with Mexico’s poor, and his exploits were heavily publicized in the U.S. and around the world. In 1920, Villa accepted a deal with a new Mexican government, laying down his arms in exchange for thousands of acres of land in Durango. He was assassinated three years later, though his killers were never captured.