The Mexican Revolution was a very complex process, and it never really ended; a lot of positive things came from it, but some of it's most dignified leaders ended up homeless living under the revolutionary statues and sculptures in the big city parks.
If you visit the office of our Ejido you will see a large picture of Emiliano Zapata, he is one of the iconic leaders of the Revolucion to say the least. Thanks to him the creation of the La Manzanilla Ejido was possible, for some revolution leaders taking down the Dictator of the time Pofirio Diaz was enough, but for Zapata a land reform was crucial and paved the way for the elimination of the Hacienda systems and the exploitation of the workers, who basiclly lived in the conditions of slavery and extreme poverty.
Here are some pictures taken by some local residents them selves, hopefully they can help you imagine the scene back around 1910, we have some pretty serious characters...
Francisco I. Madero was the first real candidate to challenge Porfirio Diaz's dictatorship in a formal election, he was extradited to the USA and from there conducted the armed rebellion with the support of General Pascual Orozco and revolution celebrity Pancho Villa.
He is against consecutive reelection.
In the parade we can't miss the rich upper class of the time, Dictator President Porfirio Diaz was really in to French culture and French ideals, during his regime he built amazing European like buildings, libraries, sculptures, parks, he supported scientific research, national history and popular art. Of course all of this thanks to his wife Carmen who came from one of the richest Mexican families, she taught the uneducated Oaxacan General to speak English, French and all about high society.
Here we have the popular Machete dance, most of the soldiers who fought during La Revolucion were common farmers and country folk. In 1910 less than 1% of Mexican families owned about 85% of the entire farmable land. Small town with small portions of land made about 50 of the population and depended almost entirely on the Haciendas, these Haciendas were also the only ones entitled to receive new irrigation technologies, government credits, etc, etc...
Here we have Daira a typical Adelita! That is what they called the women who accompanied the men during La Revolucion, they set the camps, feed the army, carried their babies on their back with their rebosos, walked beside the men who rode horses and some of them were trained soldiers and were even promoted to Generals.
Here we have the Adelitas consorting with the Soldados, there was a lot of drinking going on on the southern side of the revolution, not in he north because Pancho Villa would not allow it! Famous songs called corridos were used to describe epic battles and their heroes or victims, it was how people kept informed on what was happening back then...
After Francisco I. Madero and his allies made it to the Presidential Chair it was not long before another rogue General and his troops infiltrated to the capital and had him executed, his name was Victoriano Huerta. Zapata and Villa decided to meet and together decide what to do with this new usurper.
Pancho Villa and his Northern Division came to join forces with the southern army of E. Zapata, together they we set to overthrow yet another character who came after the Presidential chair, it was Venustiano Carranaz who once fought with them had now lead an army of his own in to the capital and proclaimed himself President of Mexico. We now have those iconic pictures of the two very different leaders meeting and consorting.
Students all around Mexico show their athletic abilities during the parade.
Some of the local High school kids have to go as far as Cihuatlan to participate in the
parade since it is an obligational attendance nation wide.
There has not been such a revolutionary climate since 1968 amongst the Mexican youth and working class as there is now in 2012, university students have revived Zapatas ideals. Once again the concentrated power amongst a very few is overwhelmingly baring on the majority of people. Giant historic mobilizations of protesters are purposefully not broadcasted by the only two existing T.V. networks and the "drug war" has now affected and touched almost every body's life directly or indirectly. New civil organizations like the #YoSoy132 movement arise in the need to communicate truth, dignify and unite the country. Ironiclly enough what came out of the Mexican Revolution is the Partido Revolucionario Institucional or P.R.I..
Zapata Vive, la Lucha Sigue!!
Special Thanks to:
Liliana Castillo Martinez,
Aby Ramos,
Violeta Figueroa Michel,
Xochitl Soto,
Irlanda Rutherford
and
Daniel Figueroa Michel.
