When Francisco I. Madero initiated the Revolution against Porfirio Díaz, he promised that he would return land to the peasants who supported him. The Treaty of Ciudad Juárez established the resignation of Porfirio Díaz, the call for presidential elections, and that the revolutionaries would surrender their weapons because the armed struggle had ended.
Since the treaty made no mention of land, the revolutionaries refused to lay down their arms until the promise of land restitution was fulfilled.
The First Meeting Between Zapata and Madero
During the first meeting between Zapata and Madero on June 9, 1911, the deep differences between them became evident. Emiliano respectfully told him that he and the people he represented wanted the land returned to the villages and all the promises of the Revolution fulfilled.
Madero assured him that this would be done, but insisted that it was more important for Zapata to disband his army.
Trying to convince him with a simple example, Zapata stood before him holding a rifle and, pointing to Madero’s watch, said:
“Look, Mr. Madero. If I, taking advantage of the fact that I am armed, take your watch and keep it, and later we meet again with equal strength, would you have the right to demand its return?”
“Of course, General, and I would even have the right to ask for compensation for the time you used it improperly,” Madero replied.
Zapata then explained that this was exactly what had happened in Morelos, where landowners had dispossessed peasants of their lands.
“My soldiers, the armed peasants, and all the people demand that I tell you, with all due respect, to immediately proceed with the restitution of their lands.”
Even so, they failed to reach an agreement. In an attempt to end the discussion, Madero offered Zapata a “good ranch” in the state of Morelos as payment for his services to the Revolution.
Enraged, Zapata replied:
“No, Mr. Madero. I did not take up arms to conquer lands and estates for myself. I took up arms so that the people of Morelos could recover what was stolen from them.”
He said this in a threatening tone and struck the butt of his rifle against the floor. He then left Madero’s residence and returned to Morelos.
Growing Tensions in Morelos
The state of Morelos was far from achieving the institutional order expected by the new government. The revolutionaries refused to return the lands they had recovered from the haciendas.
On June 20, Madero summoned Zapata to Mexico City. After their conversation, Madero sent him back to continue disarming his troops. As Zapata prepared to leave the capital, he was warned that federal troops were on their way to arrest him. He immediately returned to Morelos and, after that, avoided traveling to Mexico City whenever possible.
At the beginning of August, pressure from the landowners led the government to send federal troops to Morelos under the command of Victoriano Huerta and Aureliano Blanquet, with the intention of intervening militarily.
Madero traveled to Cuernavaca and arranged another meeting with Zapata in Cuautla on August 18 in an effort to avoid conflict.
Madero disliked Zapata’s demands because they did not align with his political reforms, which did not propose changes to the structure of land ownership. He limited himself to making vague promises and asked Zapata to wait until he formally assumed the presidency of the Republic.
Zapata once again trusted Madero and even asked him for a personal favor: to be the godfather at his wedding to Josefa Espejo Sánchez.
Madero Becomes President
In October 1911, elections were held, resulting in the victory of Francisco I. Madero as president and lawyer, journalist, and poet José María Pino Suárez as vice president. They took office on November 6, 1911.
The main problem Madero faced was pacifying the country. The revolutionaries refused to surrender their weapons and abandon the struggle until he fulfilled his promise to restore their lands.
Madero believed that the land issue should be resolved according to the law, even if that process took time. The revolutionaries, especially Emiliano Zapata, disagreed and became distrustful of him because they perceived a double standard.
When it came to the presidency that Madero desired, he obtained it quickly and through armed struggle. But regarding the land that the peasants wanted—and that he had promised them—he said it would be resolved slowly and according to legal procedures.
The revolutionaries did not accept this. Their lands had been taken from them long ago, and they no longer wanted to wait. The dispossession itself had been carried out through laws, and they no longer trusted legal processes. Many believed Madero was merely misleading them with empty promises.
The Plan of Ayala
Emiliano Zapata felt betrayed by Madero not only as the leader of the Revolution and President of the Republic, but also as his wedding godfather.
On November 28, 1911, Zapata broke definitively with Madero and proclaimed the Plan of Ayala, opposing him and demanding the restitution and distribution of land to peasants and Indigenous communities.
The Revolution had only just begun.
Source: mexicodailypost
