On this day in history: Emiliano Zapata assassinated, 1919

On the 10th April, 1919, at the Hacienda de San Juan, near the city Ayala in the Mexican state of Morelos, Emiliano Zapata was assassinated by forces loyal to General Huerta, military dictator.

Emiliano Zapata Salazar, a mediero (sharecropper) and horse trainer from the village Anenecuilco in Morelos, was a political campaigner and a major figure in the Mexican Revolution. Undefeated in battle, his enemies hatched a plan to ambush Zapata and his forces. One of Huerta's Generals, Pablo González, pretended to want to switch sides and support the revolution. He contacted Zapata to arrange a meeting at the Hacienda de San Juan; however, the meeting was a trap.

The lasting image of Zapata is that of a romantic revolutionary hero, like Che Guevara. You can read more about him at the libcom.org site.