Zapata & Villa: Agrarian Peasant Voices in the Mexican Revolution

Historical Context

When we think of revolutions, we often imagine elite political leaders or dramatic city uprisings, but in the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920), some of the most important voices came from the countryside. Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa stood out as leaders who represented the rural poor and landless peasants. Both men rose from humble backgrounds to command revolutionary armies, and though their choices were different along the way, they each fought for one central idea: land should belong to those who work it. Emiliano Zapata was born into a small farming community in Morelos, where large haciendas had pushed Indigenous and peasant communities off their ancestral lands. Zapata believed that the land crisis, where a few wealthy landowners controlled nearly all farmland, was one of the root causes of poverty in Mexico. In 1911, Zapata issued the Plan de Ayala, a powerful document demanding that land be taken from elites and returned to peasant villages. This plan became the backbone of his movement. His followers, known as Zapatistas, fought not just for political change but for control of local land and resources. Zapata’s leadership helped make land reform one of the most important demands of the entire revolution. He gave voice to rural communities that had been ignored or exploited for generations and believed real freedom meant access to land, local control, and Indigenous rights. In the north of Mexico, Pancho Villa emerged as another key leader. Villa had a very different background; he was a former bandit, horseman, and folk hero, but like Zapata, he was deeply committed to fighting for poor rural Mexicans. His army, the División del Norte, included workers, farmers, and ranchers. Villa attacked elite landowners and redistributed food, supplies, and land to local communities. While he did not have a detailed land reform plan like Zapata, Villa believed the revolution should break the power of the central government and give peasants more control over their lives. His forces played a major role in destabilizing the ruling class and challenging foreign influence in northern Mexico. Villa’s actions helped turn the revolution into a broader social movement. His popularity showed that peasants across the country were ready to fight for change, not just in law, but in daily life. Though they came from different regions and had different leadership styles, Zapata and Villa were united in the belief that land reform was essential.

Connection to History’s Habits of Mind

The story of Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa in the Mexican Revolution is a powerful example of how individuals make decisions shaped by their time, place, and circumstances. Zapata chose to stand up for landless peasants in Morelos because he had witnessed firsthand the destruction of Indigenous farmland under elite landowners. Villa, shaped by poverty and injustice in northern Mexico, decided to lead an army of working-class people to fight for dignity and better living conditions. Neither man had formal political power, but they understood their communities’ struggles and made bold choices to act. Their decisions to organize, to resist, and to fight for land reform helped transform a national revolution into a grassroots movement. The legacy of their choices lives on today, reminding us that major change often begins with everyday people making courageous decisions based on the realities they face.

Discussion Question

• What conditions in rural Mexico motivated Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa to join the revolution?
• In what ways were their approaches shaped by the regions they came from: Zapata from Morelos and Villa from northern Mexico? How did their upbringings influence the types of change they fought for?
• Zapata focused on land reform, while Villa also sought political power. What do these different choices tell us about their priorities?
• How did the decisions of Zapata and Villa shape the goals of the Mexican Revolution?
• How are the actions of Zapata and Villa remembered today in Mexico and beyond? What can we learn from their decisions about how ordinary people influence history?

Suggested Activity

Materials Needed:

• Printed or digital: Emiliano Zapata Excerpts from the Plan de Ayala (1911) and Pancho Villa Excerpts from the Manifesto to the Nation (1914)
• Notebook paper
• Chart paper or whiteboard

Step 1: Source Analysis and Statements [20 mins]

Divide students into pairs or small groups. Assign each group excerpts of either Zapata’s Plan de Ayala or Villa’s Manifesto to the Nation.

Have students create a statement from the perspective of Zapata or Villa using the following prompts as a guide:

• The author’s main objectives.
• The social and political issues addressed.
• The proposed solutions or actions.

Examples:

• Zapata focused on agrarian reform, emphasizing the immediate restitution and redistribution of land to peasants, reflecting his deep commitment to rural communities.
• Villa emphasized political reform and the broader rights of the people, positioning the revolution as a means to secure liberties and justice for the oppressed, and distancing himself from leaders he viewed as betraying revolutionary ideals.

Step 2: Group Discussion [10 mins]

• Have a few students share their analyses with the class. Facilitate a discussion comparing and contrasting Zapata’s and Villa’s approaches to revolution. Discuss how each leader’s decisions were influenced by their personal experiences and the needs of their constituencies.

Step 3: Independent Reflection [10 mins]

Students write a paragraph on how Zapata’s and Villa’s choices during the revolution demonstrate the concept of “Decisions and Choices” within historical contexts.