Zapata Project 1

CD Holder
CONTENTS:
Credits & Acknowledgments ………………………………….....…….…………… 4
Letter to Educators from Creator Epigmenio Ibarra ….....…………………………… 5
An Overview of the Mexican Revolution ……………………………….…………… 7
History’s Characters …………………………………..........……………..………… 8-9
Chronology ……………………………………………........................…...………… 10
Index of Scenes on CD ………………………………………………….....……........ ?
Section I - The Vocabulary of a Revolution
Words and Definitions ……………………………………………............………… 13-14
(Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6)
Section II - Discussing Zapata
Questions ……………………………………………………......................………… 17
Answers ………………………………………………………………….................... 18
(Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6)
Section III - Zapata Games and Activities
Zapata Maze ………………………………………………………............………… 21
Zapata “Find the Object” …………………………………………...…......………… 23
(Grades 1 & 2)
Zapata Word Search ……………………………………………….............………… 22
(Grades 3 & 4)
Zapata “Match the Date” ……………………………………………..........………… 21
(Grades 3, 4, 5 & 6)
Zapata Crossword ……………………………………………………........………… 24
(Grades 5 & 6)
Appendix A:The Map of a Revolution ……………………………….....…………… 20
Appendix B:In Zapata’s Words ……………………………………......…………...... 12
Bibliography …………………………………………………………….................... ?
Resources ……………………………………………………………….................. 26-27
Credits and Acknowledgments
Telemundo Wishes to acknowledge the contributions of the following people,
companies and organizations in the making of this guide:
Mexican Cultural Institute, Los Angeles
Susana Bautista
Executive Director
University of California, Los Angeles
Raúl Alarcón
Bilingual Educator
Learning in Two Languages Program
Corinne A. Seeds University Elementary School, UCLA.
Argos Comunicación, Mexico
Epigmenio Ibarra
CEO
Executive Producer of the televisión series: “Zapata: amor en rebeldía”
Arizona State University
Gary D. Keller
Director, Hispanic Research Center
www.Latinoartcommunity.org
Credits:
Curriculum Designer:
Anjanette Delgado
Writers:
Anjanette Delgado
Jessica Stella
Curriculum Consultant:
Research:
Creative Director:
Print Production Manager:
Layout and Cover Design:
Additional Artwork:
Historic Photos courtesy of:
Photographers:
Video Editor:
Raúl Alarcón/ UCLA
Anjanette Delgado
Jessica Stella
Laura Sosa
Leticia Lopez Margalli
Manuel Vila
Alex Hernandez
Jorge H. Cordoves
Gloria Elisa Blanco/ www.kokone.com.mx
Diego Molina
Arizona State University’s Hispanic Research Center
Juan Manuel García
Rene Cheng
Executives in Charge of Production:
Ramon Escobar
Exec. VP of Programming/ Telemundo Network Group LLC
Mauricio Gerson
VP of Programming/Telemundo Network Group LLC
Even today, in the fields of Mexico, some people say that Emiliano Zapata is still alive. That he can be
seen riding his white horse through the mountains with his carbine 30-30 slung over his shoulder.
The truth is Zapata does live there and in any other place where the peasants get together to discuss their
problems, to organize the battle for their rights, to fight for the land they sow or to dream of a better life for
themselves and their children. They made a mistake, those who murdered him on April 14th of 1919 in
Chinameca. They couldn’t get rid of him altogether. Emiliano Zapata is still here, among us.
No other hero in the history of Mexico, or its revolution, has the timeliness, the vitality, the importance
that Emiliano Zapata has for us. His battle isn’t over. Our people want land and freedom. Wants to live in the
place where they were born, where their ancestors were born, without misery and injustice forcing them to
abandon their soil, their people, their customs.
Emiliano Zapata is still trotting. He’s flag, standard, symbol, battle call and image that is repeated over
and over on walls, shawls, t-shirts and the photos that accompany the protests and battles and dreams of the
peasants, of the poor of Mexico and Latin America; those who want, who deserve, who fight for a better life.
Epigmenio Ibarra
México, DF, August 10, 2004
Estimados Educadores,
Hay quien dice, todavía hoy, en el campo mexicano que Emiliano Zapata no ha muerto. Que se le mira
cabalgar por las montañas en su caballo blanco y con su carabina 30-30.
Lo cierto es que Zapata vive ahí, en cualquier lugar donde se reúnen los campesinos a discutir sus
problemas, a organizarse para la lucha por sus derechos, a pelear por la tierra que trabajan o a soñar en una vida
mejor para ellos y para sus hijos. Se equivocaron los que aquel 14 de abril de 1919 en Chinameca lo asesinaron.
No pudieron matarlo del todo. Emiliano Zapata sigue aquí entre nosotros.
Ningún héroe de la historia de México, de la Revolución mexicana, tiene la vigencia, la vitalidad, la
importancia que tiene para nosotros Emiliano Zapata. Su lucha no ha
terminado. Nuestra gente quiere tierra y libertad. Quiere poder vivir en
el lugar en el que ha nacido, en el que nacieron sus antepasados sin que
la miseria y la injusticia los obliguen a abandonar su tierra, su gente,
sus costumbres.
Emiliano Zapata no ha dejado de cabalgar. Es bandera,
estandarte, símbolo, consigna, imagen que se repite en muros, mantas,
camisetas, fotografías que acompaña las marchas y las luchas y los
sueños de los campesinos, de los pobres de México y América Latina;
esos que quieren, que merecen, que luchan por una vida mejor.
Epigmenio Ibarra
México, DF, a 10 de agosto de 200
Un amor marcado por el destino y atrapado entre dos mundos en conflicto.
Ana de la Reguera, Manolo Cardona, Dolores Heredia y la presentación de Saúl Lisazo
en la nueva producción original de Telemundo.
lunes a viernes 9pm/8c
Emiliano Zapata was born in Anenecuilco, in the southern state of Morelos, on August 8th,
1879. He was born to a family of cattle ranchers, but by the age of sixteen, he was an orphan.
As a young man, he participated in meetings, representing farmers in their demand for justice
from the wealthy landowners who usurped their lands, accepted their work in exchange for unjust pay
and then refused to share the profits of the worker’s efforts. When he participated in a meeting to
demand the restitution of lands to farmers in Ayutla, the government of then president Porfirio Diaz
punished him by drafting him into the ninth regiment of Cuernavaca. He was honorably discharged less
than a year later.
On September 12th 1909, Zapata was elected president of the
Committee for the Defense of Anenecuilco Territories. But in
response to Zapata’s requests on behalf of the peasants, the
landowners stepped up repression against the community.
Meanwhile, President Diaz had troubles of his own.
Political enemy Francisco Madero was back. While running for
president against Diaz, he had been arrested and released on bail
only after Diaz had been declared president. But Madero jumped
bail, fleeing to the U.S. and in 1910, returned to lead a revolt
against the Díaz administration based on the San Luis Potosi
Plan, which called for the withdrawal of Diaz from power and included clauses
for the restitution of lands to underprivileged farmers.
Zapata, waging his own battles against the wealthy landowners in Morelos, decides to support
Madero, joining the revolution in 1911 and successfully taking several cities such as Jojutla,
Chinameca and Cuernavaca; lands he later returned to the peasants.
The Maderistas triumphed, pushing Porfirio Diaz into exile later that
same year, but Zapata refused to disarm until all lands were returned to the
natives. Meanwhile, the landowners began to campaign against Zapata,
accusing him of being a bandit.
On November 28th of that same year, Zapata publishes his Plan de
Ayala, declaring Madero an enemy of the revolution for balking at putting the
San Luis Potosi Plan into effect. He then put forth a detailed plan to confiscate
a third of all lands owned by the hacenderos and return them to the peasantry.
He called this document the Plan de Ayala. Among other things, the plan
called Madero a traitor to the people who elected him president, states that a
third of all usurped lands controlled by the landlords and bosses would be
returned to the citizens of Mexico and called for a council of delegates
representing each state to select an interim President of the Republic and a
council of revolutionary chiefs to select a governor for each state. It was in
these days when Zapata first used his now famous slogan of Tierra y Libertad.
If Madero was indecisive about returning the lands to the workers and gaining disfavor with the
wealthy, he was just as indecisive about taking a hard-line approach against the revolutionaries. This
earned him the distrust of his advisors. On February of 1913, Victoriano Huerta, the former head of the
army under Madero, who had been charged with the mission of disarming Zapata, carries out a coup
d'etat against Madero, who is assassinated within days. Huerta declares himself president and steps up
his efforts to destroy Zapata.
Meanwhile, Zapata sends an official notice to the town, explaining the reasons for his refusal to
disarm. He invites the people to join his army and revolt in demand for their land. The Zapatista army
then managed to take Chiautla (Puebla), almost all Guerrero, Morelos, a part of the state of Hidalgo, a
part of the State of Mexico and also the south of the Federal District. In the
meantime, in the north of the country, the "North Division," under Francisco
“Pancho” Villa, managed to take great part of that territory from the
government’s control. Alvaro Obregon and Venustiano Carranza were also
fighting against Huerta in the north. Huerta recognizes his failure and is forced
to leave the country in 1914. Venustiano Carranza claims the presidency.
On December 4th, 1914, Zapata and Villa unite to fight Carranza and
march both their armies, the North Division and the South’s Liberating Army,
through the streets of Mexico City. What followed were years of instability.
Carranza made Obregon his military commander and empowered him to
negotiate with or destroy Villa and Zapata.
During this time, Zapata created the first Agrarian Commission, instituted agricultural credits
and inaugurated a rural loan bank in Morelos. He also opened numerous primary schools for both
children and adults.
In 1915, Villas’ troops suffer the first in a series of debilitating blows at the hands of Alvaro
Obregon. The government forces could now focus on the Zapatistas.
In 1917, Carranza becomes the first constitutionally elected president in Mexico’s history,
signing into national law the first decree to return usurped lands to the people
of Mexico.
By 1918, after seven years of fighting; the Zapatistas began to
weaken, loosing followers and resources. On April 10, 1919, Zapata was
ambushed and assassinated in the Chinameca hacienda on Carranza’s orders.
However, Zapata lives on as one of the most important defenders of the rights of
a people to progress through the fruits of their work and the land.
1879
1909
1910
August 8
Emiliano Zapata is born.
September 12
Zapata is elected by the townspeople as President of the Committee for the Defense of
Anenecuilco Territories.
April 15
Francisco Madero is nominated to run for president against Porfirio Diaz.
July 8
Porfirio Diaz is reelected president of Mexico, a post he has held almost continuously since 1876.
1911
November 20
Madero accuses him of rigging the election and calls for an uprising against Diaz, officially
beginning the Mexican revolution. Zapata joins him in the south; Francisco “Pancho” Villa and
Pascual Orozco in the north.
May 25
Porfirio Diaz resigns as president and leaves the country.
October 15
Madero is elected president of Mexico.
1913
November 28
Zapata publishes Plan de Ayala.
February 8
Victoriano Huerta carries out a coup d’etat against Madero.
February 22
Madero and Vice President Pino Suarez are assassinated.
Zapata, Villa, Venustiano Carranza and Alvaro Obregon oppose the murder of Madero and see
Huerta’s regime as a restoration of the old order. They rise against Huerta, but relations between
the revolutionaries are tense.
1914
March 28
Venustiano Carranza draws up Plan of Guadalupe, in which he declares himself president.
Villa continues to rule the north; Zapata the south.
July 15
Huerta resigns as provisional president and flees to Spain.
August 15
Alvaro Obregon, now Carranza’s military commander, occupies Mexico City on his behalf.
October 12 - November 12
Revolutionary leaders, including Zapata and Villa reject Carranza as Mexico’s President during
Convention of Aguas Calientes. Eulalio Gutierrez is declared president. Carranza does not abide
by results. Obregon continues fighting on Carranza’s behalf.
November 14
Zapatistas take Mexico City.
1915
December 4
Zapata and Villa march their armies into Mexico City and vow to fight Carranza.
January 6
Carranza issues first definitive law on land distribution, revising the Plan of Guadalupe to give
governors the right to expropriate private property and return it to the agricultural village. The law
also created the first national Agrarian Commission to oversee the redistribution of land.
January 15
Obregón begins a campaign against Villa's forces.
Zapatistas carry out agrarian reforms: redistributing lands taken from the haciendas, creating the
first agrarian loan bank and a number of primary schools.
1917
1919
1920
1921
April 15
Villa’s North Division suffers first in a series of weakening blows at the hands of Alvaro Obregon.
March 11
Venustiano Carranza is elected president.
April 10
Zapata is assassinated in the Chinameca hacienda on Carranza’s orders.
May 7
Carranza is overthrown by Alvaro Obregon.
May 21
Carranza is assassinated. New elections later lead to the presidency of Álvaro Obregón.
Fighting ends.
History’s Characters 1
Emiliano Zapata
(August 8, 1879 - April 10, 1919)
Considered a national Mexican heroe, he was a
leading figure in the revolution of 1910 against the
dictatorship of Porfirio DÌaz. The motto of his
movement was “land and freedom.” He spent his life
defending the the rights of poor farmers to be justly
compensated for their work amd fighting for the restitution of lands usurped by the wealthy landowners of prerevolutionary Mexico.
Francisco I. Madero
Gonzalez
(October 30, 1873 - February 22, 1913)
He launched the revolution that brought the Porfirio
Diaz dictatorship to an end and served as President
of Mexico from 1911 to 1913. His indecisive
handling of Mexico’s problems caused both
revolutionary & wealthy sectors in his country to become dissillusioned with his government. He was
overthrown by the head of his own army, Victoriano Huerta, and assasinated in 1913.
Venustiano Carranza
(December 29, 1859 - May 21, 1920)
One of the the leaders of the Mexican
Revolution, he ultimately became President of
Mexico. The country’s current constitution was
drafted during his administration. Carranza was
an early supporter of Francisco I. Madero’s
efforts to overthrow the Porfirio DÌaz dictatorship, and when Madero came to power he appointed
Carranza Secretary of War and of the Navy. Carranza’s forces were known as the Constitutionalist
Army. Carranza later revolted, claiming the presidency when Madero was overthrown.
Francisco “Pancho” Villa
(June 5, 1877 - July 20, 1923)
His real name was Doroteo Arango Ar·mbula, but he
was better known as Francisco “Pancho” Villa, the
Mexican revolutionary. In 1911, Villa helped defeat
the federal army of Porfirio DÌaz in favor of
Francisco I. Madero. After that, Villa rebelled again,
this time against Victoriano Huerta and later against fellow revolutionary Venustiano Carranza. His “North
Division” controlled that territory from 1911 to 1915, when he suffered the first of a series of crushing defeats at
the hands of another revolutionary fighter: Alvaro ObregÛn. In 1920, Villa ended his revolutionary actions. He
was assassinated three years later in Parral, Chihuahua.
Porfirio Diaz
(September 16, 1830 - July 2, 1915)
Mexican dictator. In 1876, after losing the presidential election, he led a revolt and
seized power. He ruled for 35 years, and was overthrown in the 1910 revolution
led by Francisco Madero. His rule was a mix of contradictions: on one hand, he
wished to modernise the country; on the other he supported haciendas throughout
his rule, allowing wealthy landowners to encroach onto village-owned land and
using rurales (rural police) to enforce this theft. He died in Paris in 1915.
Alvaro Obregon
(February 19, 1879 - July 17, 1928)
Born into a working-class family in northern Mexico, he worked as a
laborer during his youth. After the Mexican revolution of 1910, he
joined the revolutionaries and quickly become a powerful general in the
camp of Venustiano Carranza. When Carranza later denied him a bid for
the presidency, he overthrew him. Obregon was elected president in
1920. The Mexican revolution ended during his presidency.
Other character’s in our story:
***Note to teachers: Though the story around the following characters has been fictionalized, the people themselves existed and
were carefully researched to give dimension to the account of Zapata’s life, which had love as well as war. Though they’re not
crucial to the story of the Mexican Revolution, you might find the following profiles helpful in answering student’s questions
when reviewing the scenes included in your video guide.
Rosa Maria Rendón
Rosa MarÌa is the daughter of Don Eugenio RendÛn, a wealthy, land-usurping hacienda owner. Her mother
died when she was eight and she grows up under the care of Nana Lorenza. She loves the land and is aware
of the farmer’s hard work. Upon turning twenty, she goes to London to study medicine, a profession that
was just then beginning to accept women. When our story begins, she is on a school break to visit her
father. She meets Zapata and the strong attraction he exerts over her will transform her world inevitably.
Josefa Espejo
A young peasant girl, a dreamer who sees her life transformed by history. When the civil war explodes in
Morelos, Josefa finds in her love for Zapata a reason to join a revolution and devote her life to the struggles
of her people. She was his last wife of record and together, they had a son.
Captain Fernando Cevallos (Unsure of spelling of last name)
A career military man trained in France, as was the custom of the times. He returns to Mexico to join the army
of Porfirio Diaz in a time of apparent peace and tranquility. With the onset of revolutionary hostilities, Cevallos
finds the reason for his existence. Though he makes mistakes, he manages a deft transfer of loyalties from
president to president, using treason, deceit and cruelty in his quest for social standing and political survival.
Don Eugenio Rendón
The typical potentate landowner of the time, he initiates industrialization by replacing the traditional
harvests for the more prosperous sugar cane. A proud and powerful man, he believes he owns the land...
and the men who work his fields.
Scene 1
Where Zapata makes his entrance and
is defined by those who will later be his
enemies.
(Re: questions 1 and 4)
Scene 2
Where Zapata is elected president of
the Committee for the Defense of the
Anenecuilco Territories. During this
scene he remembers his youth.
(Re: questions 2, 4, 5 and 6)
Scene 3
Where Zapata demands that the
landowner who symbolizes the rich,
corrupt landowners of the times pay
the workers justly, share profits with
those whose lands they have taken or
restitute the lands to their rightful
owners.
(Re: question 7)
Scene 4
Where we hear from those in the
political know of the situation that
ultimately led to the Mexican
Revolution between Porfirio Diaz and
Francisco Madero.
(Re: questions 8 and 10)
Scene 5
Where we see an example of the
violence of the revolution.
(Re: question 9)
Scene 6:
Where Professor Torres Burgos
recruits Zapata to join Madero's
movement.
(Re: question 11)
Scene 7
Where we first get a glimpse of
Madero's attempt to straddle two
worlds.
(Re: questions 13, 17, 18 and 19)
Scene 8
Where Madero orders a stop to the
violence at Zapata's expense.
(Re: question 13)
Scene 9
Where we see more of the violence
that erupted prior to the official rift
between Zapata and Madero.
(Re: question 13)
Scene 10
Where Zapata and Otilio Montaño draft
the Plan of Ayala.
(Re: questions 13, 14 and 15.)
Scene 11
Where Zapata's main slogan is heard for
the first time.
(Re: question 16)
Scenes 12
Where we see Madero's indecisiveness.
He refuses to take a firm stand either for or
against the people; he refuses to anger the
landowners.
(Re: questions 17, 18 and 19)
Scene 13
Where Madero we see the injustice of
Zapata's portrayal by the landowners
through Madero's perception.
(Re: question 21)
Scene 14
Madero is ousted.
(Re: question 20)
Scene 15
Where we learn from Victoriano Huerta
that he now faces four revolutionaries
instead of one.
(Re: questions 22 and 23)
Scene 16:
Where Villa requests Zapata's alliance to
fight a common enemy.
(Re: question 25)
Scene 17
Villa and Zapata march through Mexico
City and enter the National Palace.
(Re: question 24)
Scene 18
Carranza orders Zapata killed.
(Re: question 28)
Scene 19
Where Zapata acknowledges that his war
may be coming to an end.
(Re: question 26)
Scene 20
Zapata betrayed and murdered.
(Re: question 29)
“It is better to
die on your feet than to live on your knees.”
"Tierra y Libertad" (Land and Freedom)
“The city is full of sidewalks and I keep falling off of them.”
I
FIGHT
“ am determined to
against anything and anyone with
nothing more than the confidence and support of my people."
-In letter to friend and supporter Gildardo Magaña
"I wish to die as a slave to principles, not to men."
“Many of them, so much to curry favor with tyrants, for a fistful of coins,
of their
or through bribery or corruption, are shedding the
blood
brothers.”
Ignorance and obscurantism, preventing people from obtaining knowledge
“
have never produced anything other than flocks of slaves for tyranny..."
“Now I can die in
PEACE. Finally they have done us JUSTICE.”
-After reading the reports of US representative William Gates, who after meeting with Zapata,
published a string of commentaries in the United States about the struggle in Mexico and said
that "the true social revolution can be found among the Zapatistas."
“As soon as they get a chance, they go where the sun shines brightest.
That’s why I bust those bastards – I can’t stand them.”
-Zapata, talking to Pancho Villa about politicians.
Words:
Definitions:
Orphan
A child whose parents have died.
Emiliano Zapata
President
Justice
Freedom
Morelos
Hero
Chiapas
Plan de Ayala
Landowners
Peasants
Fighting
Nahuatl
Restitution
Indigenous
Mexican revolutionary leader.
The chief of state of a country.
a: just conduct, management, or treatment b: the
administration of law c: the quality of being fair
or just.
a: the state of being free b: ability to move or act
freely c: to use without restriction e: a political right
A state in the south of Mexico.
a: an outstanding warrior or soldier b: a person
admired for achievements and qualities c: one that
shows great courage.
A state in South Eastern Mexico.
Document set forth by Zapata in 1911 calling for the
restitution of lands and better living conditions for
poor, native, farm workers in Mexico.
An owner or proprietor of land.
The farmer or laborer of a small farm.
To struggle against another in battle or physical
combat.
Language. Now in disuse, it was once the dominant
mode of communication throughout the Aztec
empire.
The giving of something back to its rightful owner
or the giving of something of equal value (as for loss
or damage).
Originating in and characteristic of a particular
region or country; native.
Words:
Definitions:
Dictator
A person who rules with total authority and often in
a cruel or brutal manner.
Guerrilla
Treason
Rebellion
Revolution
Struggle
Harvest
Rights
Tradition
Hacienda
Dignitary
Rodeo
Government
Agrarian
Economy
A band of persons engaged in warfare not as part of
a regular army but as an independent unit making
surprise raids behind enemy lines.
The betrayal of a trust.
Open opposition to authority.
Open fighting against authority (as in one’s
government).
a: to make a great effort to overcome someone or
something b: to proceed with difficulty or with great
effort
a: the season when crops are gathered b: the
gathering of a crop c: the quantity of a crop gathered
in a single season
a: the ideal of what is just and good b: something to
which one has a just claim (often used in plural) c:
something that one may properly claim as due d: the
quality or state of being factually correct
d: capitalized : political conservatives
The handing down of information, beliefs, or
customs from one generation to another.
A large estate in Spanish-speaking countries.
A person of high position or honor.
a: a roundup of cattle b: an exhibition featuring
cowboy skills
a: the officials making up the governing body of a
political unit b: capitalized: the executive branch of
the U.S. federal government.
a: of or relating to fields or lands or their ownership
b: of, relating to, or concerned with farmers or
farming interests
a: the way an economic system (as of a country or a
period in history) is arranged b: careful use of
money and goods
QUESTIONS:
(Support with info from overview and chronology. See scene index for cross-reference guide.)
1. Who was Emiliano Zapata?
2. When and where was Zapata born?
3. How old was he when he became an orphan?
4. What did his family do for a living?
5. How do you think these two circumstances influenced his ideals?
6. What happened on September 12th 1909?
7. What did Zapata demand from the landowners?
8. Who was Porfirio Diaz?
9. What is a revolution?
10. Who was Francisco Madero?
11. Why did Zapata decide to join Francisco Madero's movement?
12. When was Diaz overthrown?
13. What made Zapata declare war on Madero?
14. When did Zapata publish the Plan of Ayala?
15. What were the two main points of the Plan of Ayala?
16. What was Zapata's main slogan?
17. What character trait of Madero's gained him the distrust of the rich and revolutionaries
alike?
18. Why would that trait be a problem for a country's leader?
QUESTIONS:
(Support with info from overview and chronology. See scene index for cross-reference guide.)
19. What are some of the traits of good leaders as exemplified by Zapata?
20. Who ousted Madero?
21. How was Zapata portrayed by the rich landowners? Why?
22. After Madero's death, how many revolutionaries were there?
23. What were their names and what regions did they control?
24. What happened on December 4th, 1914?
25. Why did Zapata and Villa unite?
26. List three specific things Zapata do to help the peasants of Morelos between 1914 and 1918?
27. When was the Agrarian Law ratified? By what president?
28. Who ordered Zapata assassination?
29. When and where was Zapata killed?
For further discussion:
1. What do you think could have happened if Emiliano had won his war?
2. What if Madero had kept his word?
3. Do you think Zapata's life would have been different if he had married the landowner's
daughter?
4. Why do you think he was hesitant to be the general at first?
5. Do you think the struggle between the landowners and the campesinos has occurred som
where else?
6. Who do you think was more important in the film, Madero or Carranza? Explain your answer.
***Note the presence of subjective questions for purposes of fostering discussions in connection
with current events.
Questions and Answers:
(Support with info from overview and chronology. See scene index for cross-reference guide.)
1. Who was Emiliano Zapata?
He was a leading figure in the Mexican revolution of 1910 against the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz.
He spent his life defending the rights of poor farmers to be justly compensated for their work and
fighting for the restitution of lands usurped by the wealthy landowners of pre-revolutionary Mexico.
2. When and where was Zapata born?
Zapata was born on August 8th, 1879 in Anenecuilco, in the southern state of Morelos.
3. How old was he when he became an orphan?
He was 16 years old.
4. What did his family do for a living?
He was born to a family of cattle ranchers.
5. How do you think these two circumstances influenced his ideals?
This is a subjective question with a number of possible answers, but the overview text based on
historic accounts suggests that because Zapata’s family worked the land, he was exposed to the
plight of the poor farm worker from an early age. Losing his parents so young would have made him
identify with those who'd had everything taken from them but the love of their country.
6. What happened on September 12th 1909?
Zapata was elected president of the Committee for the Defense of Anenecuilco Territories.
7. What did Zapata demand from the landowners?
He wanted them to pay the workers justly, share profits with those whose lands they had taken or
restitute the lands to their rightful owners.
8. Who was Porfirio Diaz?
He was a Mexican dictator who ruled the country for 35 years, and was overthrown in the 1910
revolution led by Francisco Madero.
9. What is a revolution?
A sudden or drastic change in a condition; overthrow of a government by the people who are
governed and replacement of that government with another; may be a cultural revolution, as in the
Industrial Revolution.
10. Who was Francisco Madero?
He launched the revolution that brought the Porfirio Diaz dictatorship to an end and served as President
of Mexico from 1911 to 1913. He was overthrown by the head of his own army, Victoriano Huerta.
11. Why did Zapata decide to join Francisco Madero’s movement?
Because Madero’s movement was based on the San Luis Potosi Plan, which included a clause to
return lands to the people of Mexico.
12. When was Diaz overthrown?
May 25, 1911.
13. What made Zapata declare war on Madero?
When Madero did not return the lands to the peasants, Zapata declared Madero an enemy of the
people’s revolution and called for his destitution.
14. When did Zapata publish the Plan of Ayala?
The Plan of Ayala, on which the Zapatista movement was founded, was published on November 28th,1911.
15. What were the two main points of the Plan of Ayala?
1) That a third of all lands owned by the hacenderos be returned to the peasants. Those who refused
would get all their lands taken for the benefit of the state.
2) A call for Francisco Madero’s resignation as president.
16. What was Zapata’s main slogan?
Tierra y Libertad (Land and Freedom)
17. What character trait of Madero's gained him the distrust of the rich and revolutionaries alike?
His indecisiveness. After taking office, he did not move to return the lands to the peasants, which
would’ve angered the landowners. He also balked at forcefully disarming Zapata.
18. Why would that trait be a problem for a country’s leader?
Leaders have to make difficult decisions for the good of all in their country.
19. What are some of the traits of good leaders as exemplified by Zapata?
Some good characteristics of good leaders as exemplified by Zapata are: courage, integrity, vision,
honesty and responsibility. There are, of course, many others.
20. Who ousted Madero?
Victoriano Huerta, his military commander.
21. How was Zapata portrayed by the rich landowners? Why?
He was portrayed as a bandit, in order to discredit him.
22. After Madero’s death, how many revolutionaries were there?
Four.
23. What were their names and what regions did they control?
North: Francisco Villa, Venustiano Carranza, Alvaro Obregón; South: Emiliano Zapata.
24. What happened on December 4th, 1914?
Zapata and Villa march their armies through Mexico City.
25. Why did Zapata and Villa unite?
To fight Carranza, who had proclaimed himself president.
26. List three specific things Zapata do to help the peasants of Morelos between 1914 and 1918?
1) He created the first Agrarian Commission.
2) He instituted agricultural credits and inaugurated a rural loan bank in Morelos.
3) He opened numerous primary schools for children and adults.
27. When was the Agrarian Law ratified? By what president?
January 6, 1915. Venustiano Carranza.
28. Who ordered Zapata assassination?
Venustiano Carranza.
29. When and where was Zapata killed?
He died on April 10, 1919 in the Chinameca Hacienda.
Answer Key:
1-i, 2-j, 3-a, 4-k, 5-h, 6-e, 7-l, 8-g, 9-f, 10-c, 11-m, 12-b and 13-d.
_____1. AUGUST 8, 1879
a) Madero begins the Mexican revolution.
_____2. MARCH 11 1917
b) Zapatistas take Mexico City.
_____3. NOVEMBER 20, 1910 c) Carranza signs the first National Agrarian Law.
_____4. DECEMBER 4, 1914
d) Zapata publishes Plan de Ayala.
_____5. OCTOBER 15, 1911
e) Carranza is overthrown by Alvaro Obregon.
_____6. MAY 7, 1920
f) Porfirio Diaz resigns as president and leaves the country.
_____7. FEBRUARY 8, 1913
g) Zapata is assassinated in the Chinameca hacienda.
_____8. APRIL 10, 1919
h) Madero is elected president of Mexico.
_____9. MAY 25, 1911
i) Emiliano Zapata is born.
_____10. JANUARY 6, 1915
j) Venustiano Carranza is elected president.
_____11. SEPTEMBER 12, 1909 k) Zapata and Villa march their armies into Mexico City.
_____12. NOVEMBER 14, 1914 l) Victoriano
. Huerta carries out a coup d’etat against
Madero
_____13. NOVEMBER 28, 1911 m) Zapata is elected president of the Committee for
the Defense of Anenecuilco Territories.
For Teachers:
Other Zapata Resources
1) Viva Zapata (online)
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/mexico/ip/azap.html
2) Emiliano Zapata: Books, articles, videos and photography.
http://members.tripod.com/~pacogaray/
3) Zapatista Revolution
http://www.zapatistarevolution.com
4) Viva Zapata! A 1952 biographical film about the story of Emiliano Zapata
5) Zapatista Video Documentary: “A place called Chiapas”
6) Emiliano Zapata: Revolution and Betrayal in Mexico by Samuel Brunk
7) Zapata and the Mexican Revolution by John Womack Jr.
8) The Chiapas Rebellion: The Struggle for Land and Democracy by Neil Harvey.
9) Villa and Zapata: A History of the Mexican Revolution by Frank McLynn.
10) Casi Nada: A Study of Agrarian Reform in the Homeland of Cardenismo by John Gledhill
11) Telemundo.com/ Click on Zapata… para los niños for an excerpt of this classroom guide, access to the study scenes on CD
and interesting facts about the filming of this historic story. Also available: “Zapata” on DVD.
For Children:
1) La Revolución Mexicana
http://www.kokone.com.mx/revolucion/personajes/zapata.html
2) México para niños
http://www.elbalero.gob.mx
3) Emiliano Zapata by Laura Espejel
4) Emiliano Zapata: Revolutionary and Champion of Poor Farmers (Proud Heritage: The Hispanic Library) by R. Conrad Stein
5) Wordcentral.com
6) Telemundo.com/ Click on Zapata… para los niños for PDF file of storybook by Elena Poniatowska.
Zapata References
1) Davies, Lynn. “The Mexican Revolution: An Overview,” [Online] Available
http://jamaica.u.arizona.edu/ic/mcbride/ws200/mex-davi.htm, 2004
2) Emiliano Zapata,” Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, ed. Barbara A. Tenenbaum, vol 5
(New York: Charles Scribners’s Sons, 1996) 493
3) Guía de San Miguel. “Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919) [Online] Available
http://www.sanmiguelguide.com/emiliano-zapata.htm, 2004
4) Indigenous People’s Literature. “Emiliano Zapata” [Online] Available
http://www.indigenouspeople.net/zapata.htm, June 09, 2004.
5) Judge, Joseph. “Plan of Ayala.” [Online] Available
http://www.historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=559, 2004
6) Latin American Resources. “Mexican Revolution Chronology (1910-1920)” [Online] Available.
7) Latin American Revolutions. “Chronology of the Mexican Revolution.” [Online] Available. 2004
8) México para niños “La Revolución Mexicana” [Online] Available
http://elbalero.gob.mx/historia/html/home.html, August 2, 2004.
9) Mount Holyoke College. “A Short History of Chiapas.” [Online] Available
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~lkchandr/history.html, July 25, 204
10) SEP Historia Sexto Grado. México: 1999
11) Stearns, Peter N. The Encyclopedia of World History. 2001: New York: Bartleby.com, 2001
12) Tuck, Jim. “Zapata and the Intellectuals.” [Online] Available
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/history/jtuck/jtzapata2.html, 2004
13) Wertman, Carl. “What is the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920.” [Online]
Available. http://nmnm.essortment.com/whatisthemexi_rljd.htm, 2004
14) Wikipedia Encyclopedia. “Emiliano Zapata.” [Online] Available.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emiliano_Zapata, August 2, 2004
15) Womack, John Jr. Zapata and the Mexican Revolution: New York. Vintage Books, 1968, 400-404
16) John Eisenhower, Intervention! The United States and the Mexican Revolution, 1913-1917 (New York, Norton, 1993).
Zapata References
1) Davies, Lynn. “The Mexican Revolution: An Overview,” [Online] Available
http://jamaica.u.arizona.edu/ic/mcbride/ws200/mex-davi.htm, 2004
2) Emiliano Zapata,” Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, ed.
Barbara A. Tenenbaum, vol 5 (New York: Charles Scribners’s Sons, 1996) 493
3) Guía de San Miguel. “Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919) [Online] Available
http://www.sanmiguelguide.com/emiliano-zapata.htm, 2004
4) Indigenous People’s Literature. “Emiliano Zapata” [Online] Available
http://www.indigenouspeople.net/zapata.htm, June 09, 2004.
5) Judge, Joseph. “Plan of Ayala.” [Online] Available
http://www.historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php? op=viewarticle&artid=559, 2004
6) Latin American Resources. “Mexican Revolution Chronology (1910-1920)”
[Online] Available.
7) Latin American Revolutions. “Chronology of the Mexican Revolution.”
[Online] Available. 2004
8) México para niños “La Revolución Mexicana” [Online] Available
http://elbalero.gob.mx/historia/html/home.html, August 2, 2004.
9) Mount Holyoke College. “A Short History of Chiapas.” [Online] Available
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~lkchandr/history.html, July 25, 2004
10) SEP Historia Sexto Grado. México: 1999
11) Stearns, Peter N. The Encyclopedia of World History. 2001: New York:
Bartleby.com, 2001
12) Tuck, Jim. “Zapata and the Intellectuals.” [Online] Available
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/history/jtuck/jtzapata2.html, 2004
13) Wertman, Carl. “What is the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920.” [Online] Available.
http://nmnm.essortment.com/whatisthemexi_rljd.htm, 2004
14) Wikipedia Encyclopedia. “Emiliano Zapata.” [Online] Available.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emiliano_Zapata, August 2, 2004
15) Womack, John Jr. Zapata and the Mexican Revolution: New York. Vintage
Books, 1968, 400-404
16) John Eisenhower, Intervention! The United States and the Mexican Revolution,
1913-1917 (New York, Norton, 1993).
agosto 23 10p/9c