Emiliano Zapata 1879?–1919
Supporter of Farmers' Rights
Emiliano Zapata was born into a family of farmers in the southern Mexican village of Anencuilco (ah nen eh KWEEL coh). As a child, Zapata saw wealthy ranch owners taking land from small farmers. Zapata believed that this was wrong.
When he grew up, Zapata organized a group of farmers to try to stop the ranch owners. The ranch owners were protected by Mexico's dictatorship. Zapata rebelled against the government. The dictatorship fell, and a new government took its place. The new government, however, did not try to help the village farmers.
Zapata wrote the Plan of Ayala in 1911 to make Mexicans everywhere aware of farmers' rights. In the plan, Zapata said that village farmers should be allowed to own the land that they farmed.
Until his death in 1919, Zapata worked hard to make sure that every Mexican had an opportunity to own land. In the twenty years after his death, the government gave much of the land the ranch owners had taken back to the village farmers. Zapata is remembered today as one of Mexico's heroes.
Critical Thinking
Why do you think Zapata is remembered as one of Mexico's heroes?