While doing a little extra research on Emiliano Zapata, I stumbled across something very interesting. Zapata actually allowed women to join his army as combatants. He had large numbers of women fighting for him in the revolution. Some were even officers! These female soldiers were called “soldaderas”. I did a little more research and found that soldaderas played a very important role in the Mexican revolution. They fought for both the federal army and rebels like Zapata’s army.
Their main roles were transporting goods, equipment, and ammunition, cooking, setting up camp, and caring for the soldiers as a mother or wife would. They also raided bodies of dead soldiers for valuable goods. These female soldiers also served as nurses caring for and treating wounded soldiers. Because it was harder for women to defend themselves, many lost their lives helping the male soldiers. Interestingly, they also were used to smuggle ammunition and medicine to Mexico from the United States. No one suspected them because they were women. I wonder why they had to smuggle in supplies. Wouldn't the United States want to make money by selling supplies? Anyways back to women...
Zapata actually allowed women to fight alongside him in battle. I am surprised because this is not shown in the movie at all. They may not have shown it because they either did not know about it or there just weren’t that many battle scenes. Many Mexican feminists see women’s role in the Mexican revolution as a milestone in women’s rights. I think women should be allowed to fight in combat if that is what they wish to do.
Good job! This was really interesting and something I had never even heard of!! I also find it odd that they didn't portray this in the movie. If women were so instrumental to Zapata's army, why are they not included in the film? While this movie may be considered revolutionary, the producers definitely took some liberties. For example, I did some further research on Zapata himself and he actually wasn't illiterate. This was a technique to further develop the dichotomy between the civilized Gomez to the barbaric Zapata. So I feel that the inclusion of women in the film would distract from the central characterization, plot line and theme of the entire movie. Just as women played an important part within the Mexican Revolution, women also played a similarly important role in World War II. Many women were nurses or even took factory jobs back home.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I also talked about the role of women in Latin America.
ReplyDeleteThere are a couple of things that I wanted to point out. First, I think that the inclusion of women in the revolution was a very progressive idea and is definitely a milestone for women's rights. The only difference is, I wouldn't attribute this feat to Zapata, but to the peasant culture. Yes, Zapata was the leader and he allowed it, but he could not have allowed it if the culture didn't support it in the first place. It's my belief that peasant women had a lot more respect and individual liberties than elite women and women in other societies. I believe this to be true because peasant families simply couldn't afford to shelter their women like elite families could.
Secondly, the film Viva Zapata! may not have shown women fighting in rank with men on the battlefield, but it did not completely exclude their importance to the revolution. There is the scene where women bravely approach the guarded city walls and sacrifice their lives lighting the dynamite to explode the walls. Before they had done this, one of the guards said to watch out for the women, because he "didn't trust the women any more than the men." There is another scene where you see women raiding the bodies of dead soldiers. Finally, when Zapata is being transported on the trail as a prisoner, men, women, and children all take part in surrounding his caravan.
It is not in your face, and perhaps the intention is to keep the focus on barbarism vs. civilization, but I think the movie actually does a pretty good job representing the role women had in the revolution.
It's surprising to me that the Federal army would have used any women soldiers. Perhaps they were used more as cooks and nurses, rather than for any actual fighting?
Anyways, thanks for the insight on a very interesting topic.
This was actually really interesting to me. I find it interesting that women were allowed to fight, because to me this seems like the women are looked at as more of an equal. I like how you pointed out that this was not in the movie at all. I am curious why the movie makers did not put this in the film. It would have made the movie more interesting.
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