EMILIANO ZAPATA Recent Titles in Greenwood Biographies David Petraeus: A Biography Bradley T. Gericke Paris Hilton: A Biography Sandra Gurvis Frederick Douglass: A Biography C. James Trotman Sojourner Truth: A Biography Larry G. Murphy Harriet Tubman: A Biography James A. McGowan and William C. Kashatus George Washington Carver: A Biography Gary R. Kremer Lance Armstrong: A Biography Paula Johanson Prince William: A Biography Joann F. Price Oprah Winfrey: A Biography Helen S. Garson John F. Kennedy: A Biography Michael Meagher and Larry D. Gragg Maya Lin: A Biography Donald Langmead Stonewall Jackson: A Biography Ethan S. Rafuse Rosa Parks: A Biography Joyce A. Hanson EMILIANO ZAPATA A Biography Albert Rolls GREENWOOD BIOGRAPHIES Copyright 2011 by Albert Rolls All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rolls, Albert. Emiliano Zapata : a biography / Albert Rolls. p. cm. — (Greenwood biographies) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-313-38080-8 (hardcopy : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-313-38081-5 (ebook) 1. Zapata, Emiliano, 1879–1919. 2. Revolutionaries— Mexico—Biography. 3. Mexico—History—Revolution, 1910–1920. 4. Mexico—Politics and government—1910–1946. I. Title. F1234.Z37R65 2011 972.08'1092—dc22 [B] 2011013272 ISBN: 978-0-313-38080-8 EISBN: 978-0-313-38081-5 15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5 This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook. Visit www.abc-clio.com for details. Greenwood An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC ABC-CLIO, LLC 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911 This book is printed on acid-free paper Manufactured in the United States of America CONTENTS Series Foreword vii Preface ix Timeline: Events in the Life of Emiliano Zapata xiii Chapter 1 A Child of Anenecuilco, Morelos 1 Chapter 2 Zapata’s Early Political Education 13 Chapter 3 Bringing the Revolution to Morelos 27 Chapter 4 The Revolution Continues and the Plan de Ayala 45 Chapter 5 In the Face of Brutality and Gentleness 59 Chapter 6 The Rise and Fall of Huerta 71 Chapter 7 The Revolution Enters a New Phase 87 Chapter 8 Starting Over Again 103 Chapter 9 The Battle for Morelos 115 Chapter 10 Beyond the 1917 Constitution 127 Chapter 11 The Final Betrayal 137 vi CONTENTS Appendix 149 Bibliography 153 Index 159 SERIES FOREWORD I n response to high school and public library needs, Greenwood devel- oped this distinguished series of full-length biographies specifi cally for student use. Prepared by fi eld experts and professionals, these engaging biographies are tailored for high school students who need challeng- ing yet accessible biographies. Ideal for secondary school assignments, the length, format and subject areas are designed to meet educators’ requirements and students’ interests. G reenwood offers an extensive selection of biographies spanning all curriculum-related subject areas including social studies, the sci- ences, literature and the arts, history and politics, as well as popu- lar culture, covering public fi gures and famous personalities from all time periods and backgrounds, both historic and contemporary, who have made an impact on American and/or world culture. Greenwood biographies were chosen based on comprehensive feedback from li- brarians and educators. Consideration was given to both curriculum relevance and inherent interest. The result is an intriguing mix of the well known and the unexpected, the saints and sinners from long-ago history and contemporary pop culture. Readers will fi nd a wide array of subject choices from fascinating crime fi gures like Al Capone to viii SERIES FOREWORD inspiring pioneers like Margaret Mead, from the greatest minds of our time like Stephen Hawking to the most amazing success stories of our day like J. K. Rowling. While the emphasis is on fact, not glorifi cation, the books are meant to be fun to read. Each volume provides in-depth information about the subject’s life from birth through childhood, the teen years, and adulthood. A thorough account relates family background and educa- tion, traces personal and professional infl uences, and explores struggles, accomplishments, and contributions. A timeline highlights the most signifi cant life events against a historical perspective. Bibliographies supplement the reference value of each volume. PREFACE Denounced as a bandit and called the Attila of the South during the Mexican Revolution early in the 20th century, Emiliano Zapata was later made, by an act of the Mexican legislature, an offi cial national hero and came to be regarded as one of Mexico’s most notable 20th-century fi gures. The anniversary of his death is a day of national mourning, “an occasion for speeches celebrating Zapata’s revolutionary career and presidential pronouncements on agrarian matters.” 1 Such celebrations seem counter to the spirit of Zapata’s life and of the post-revolutionary political system, which, after all, never fully supported the ideals for which Zapata fought. More recent moves to deemphasize his place in Mexican history in state-approved textbooks seem to provide a more genuine acknowledgment of who Zapata was, that is, a man who was willing to risk marginalization for the sake of struggling for what he be- lieved was right. “As a national symbol Zapata connotes social justice,” the scholar Emily Hind explains. He sought the return of land taken by wealthy landowners “to landless Mexicans,” and in this respect, “the rhetoric of the offi cial history was in tension with the [government’s] neglect of rural issues.”2