Chapter 28: The Illusory Quest for a Better Way PDF

Printed by: quinn.smid!@avc:.edu. Printing is for pcil80D8l, privare uso only. No part of1his book may bci npn,dua,d or tnmsmitb:d without pabliahcr'a prior permisaion. VIOl.a1ms will be proeec:uted. CHAPTER 28...

Printed by: quinn.smid!@avc:.edu. Printing is for pcil80D8l, privare uso only. No part of1his book may bci npn,dua,d or tnmsmitb:d without pabliahcr'a prior permisaion. VIOl.a1ms will be proeec:uted. CHAPTER 28 THE ILLUSORY QUEST FOR A BETTER WAY THE CONVENTION OF AGUASCALIENTES A.ND NEAR ANARCHY The years following Viaoriano Huena's ouster count as the most chaotic in Mexican revolu- tionary history as the quarrels among emwhile allies began. rn 1914 First ChiefVeriustiano Carranza allowed that a conventiol} should be held to bring revolutionary fa1~ vp:, wos WI ,111d robus,. w~ghlng a, le.ISi I~ pouads, with a Oorid complexion.. lie ea tropical helmet after the English style.... ~pall,\, in his physiognomy, was much more ll,e lndinn of the two. His skin was vay dark, and in comparison with Villa's hi~ forf' was t.hin with high cheek bones.. lie wore an im- mense sombrero, whkh at times.hiq)lis eyes.... Th~ ronfcmice b been the scouq:e of the people.... 11,osccnbroncs/ ,u.soon as 1hey s« u lit de ch:inct. well, they WJ.llt \Q..tl.ke J.dvanwge of n and line thrir own pock ! Wd.l, to hell with them!"' ,- These two great popular heroes of the revolution~guld not have been more differ- ent in term~ temperament. Zapata "'35 reseiv~nd cautlous but resolute, steadfast, and fair in carrying out his promises, while the;~ore physically dominant and intem- pen1te Villa embodied a frontier code of fearlessness, honor, violence, and vengeance in p;mwng his objectives. Yet each mllD i'~stinctively projeaed confidence, empaLhy, apd commitmenl lo the aspirntlom; 9( 7.is followers in ways that inspired the fiercest loya lty. Zapata more single-mindedly pursued agrarian reform, and Villa represented a broader spectrum of social grou~d interests. While both shared a profound disdain for Carrama, their alliance produced no military cooperation aga,nst Carronza. fhe early months of 1915 saw !he Mexican Re, olution degenerating into unmitigated anarchy. Civil wars ravaged many states. Civilian casualtie$ mounted as atroci tie$ were commi11ed on all sides. 2 Roben E. Quirk. Th,, Mtrica11 R,,10IU1JDn, l!/14-1915: Th< Cmwenl""' of Agua.w/it,11,s (ls.·L for the next two hours the Vilhs1as_ terrorized 1he town's four hundred inhabitants. Sl1outing ;Vim Vdl"! and 1Muan~ a /()J Crlrrgos/, they shot. burned, and loc:ue(l~ 1.-oopers from the US Thir- teenth Cav:tlty succeeded in driving them off by daybreak, bu eighteen Americans had been killed, many wcre wounded, and the town was burned beyond recognition lnunedia1e amor for US in1ervenlion first cune.frpm Sen:uor Alben Bacon Fall of New Mexico w ailed for a Jive hundred thousand ,..men to occupy all of Mexico. President Wil:n rebuffed the reques1, hut dispautu:d V,, ll punitive expedi tion under the com- man f Ceneral lohn ). Pershing, an arrny,f1'an \S d~ IJ. rn,oltk..' im mtxita!L\. voL 13 (Mexic.o City. Mexia,~ 1960..73), 181--82. Printed by: quinn.smi1h@avc:.ec1n. Printing ill for pi,ncmal, privata uae only. No part of1his book may ba n,pmduced or trammitted wilhont pabliahet11 prior permilllion. Vwla1on will be proJec:Uted.  Th, 11/u.wny Que,z //Jf' B,t/Lr Wll)' 393 P,mcho Vill.i (left) ill.nd Cmiliano Z.1p;1Q (nsl,t) 11,...vf'n Mateo City lhit c:im.irillderie wu more,'!J'p.utm 1h.an rul wer be fciends of the pcopii,;-..t"o have spt!nt their who!~ lives in notlung but suJTering!' 2.ipata coacum,d, "OnJIMI contrJry, they have alwa)'> been the scouq:e of the people.... 11,osccnbroncs/ ,u.soon as 1hey s« u lit de ch:inct. well, they WJ.llt \Q..tl.ke J.dvanwge of n and line thrir own pock ! Wd.l, to hell with them!"' ,- These two great popular heroes of the revolution~guld not have been more differ- ent in term~ temperament. Zapata "'35 reseiv~nd cautlous but resolute, steadfast, and fair in carrying out his promises, while the;~ore physically dominant and intem- pen1te Villa embodied a frontier code of fearlessness, honor, violence, and vengeance in p;mwng his objectives. Yet each mllD i'~stinctively projeaed confidence, empaLhy, apd commitmenl lo the aspirntlom; 9( 7.is followers in ways that inspired the fiercest loya lty. Zapata more single-mindedly pursued agrarian reform, and Villa represented a broader spectrum of social grou~d interests. While both shared a profound disdain for Carrama, their alliance produced no military cooperation aga,nst Carronza. fhe early months of 1915 saw !he Mexican Re, olution degenerating into unmitigated anarchy. Civil wars ravaged many states. Civilian casualtie$ mounted as atroci tie$ were commi11ed on all sides. 2 Roben E. Quirk. Th,, Mtrica11 R,,10IU1JDn, l!/14-1915: Th< Cmwenl""' of Agua.w/it,11,s (ls.·L for the next two hours the Vilhs1as_ terrorized 1he town's four hundred inhabitants. Sl1outing ;Vim Vdl"! and 1Muan~ a /()J Crlrrgos/, they shot. burned, and loc:ue(l~ 1.-oopers from the US Thir- teenth Cav:tlty succeeded in driving them off by daybreak, bu eighteen Americans had been killed, many wcre wounded, and the town was burned beyond recognition lnunedia1e amor for US in1ervenlion first cune.frpm Sen:uor Alben Bacon Fall of New Mexico w ailed for a Jive hundred thousand ,..men to occupy all of Mexico. President Wil:n rebuffed the reques1, hut dispautu:d V,, ll punitive expedi tion under the com- man f Ceneral lohn ). Pershing, an arrny,f1'an \