Revolutionary Mexican Women

by Tereza Jandura

Introduction 

Dolores Jimenez y Muro 

Hermila Galindo 

Soldaderas 

Conclusion 

 

 

Introduction

   The picture of pre-revolutionary Mexican women was of a woman who had to lived her life constantly in the male shadow. These women were consumed by family life, marriage, and the Catholic Church, and lived silently behind their dominant male counterparts (Soto 31-32). In 1884 (prior to the revolution) the government passed the Mexican Civil Code. It dramatically restricted women's rights at home and at work (Bush and Mumme 351). Soto states that the code "sustains an almost incredible inequality between the conditions of husband and wife, restricts in an exaggerated and arbitrary manner those rights due the woman, and…erases and nullifies her personality" (qtd. Bush and Mumme 351).

    The code was just one of the many inequalities women and other ethnic, economic, political, or religious minorities suffered under the regime of Porfirio Diaz (Bush and Mumme 351). When the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920 arose to fight against the discrimination that Diaz incorporated into his regime, women began to find a place for themselves. It gave them the chance to control their own fate and live more public lives successfully (Soto 31-32).

    Mexican women were essential to the revolution in a number of ways. They were involved in politics, were strong advocates for the causes they believed in, and participated in life on the battlefields. The female political figures were probably the most important and influential women in the Mexican Revolution.  They were prominent political activists, thinkers, writers, figures, role models, and were fearless in their pursuit of their goals, often resulting in jail terms. Both upper and lower class women managed to get high in the ranks of politics despite the inequalities they had to face, and gained the respect of men and women alike.   Many of these female political figures also set the precedent for generations to come in their thinking and political tactics. Not only did these women find a place in society other than by the stove, they won the appreciation and respect of men and women around them. Two of the most extraordinary of these women were Dolores Jimenez y Muro, who was an important political writer, and Hermila Galindo, who was a political speaker and advocate for Carranza’s campaign and regime.  Dolores Jimenez y Muro's importance is evident in how she was able to have her voice heard and listened to by   high-ranking revolutionary officials.  Hermila Galindo's prominence is shown by her distinguished political career and feminist movements.

    Women were also important in their selfless support of the troops that fought the battles. These soldaderas (female soldiers) not only joined the men on the frontlines, but they also supported them in a way that allowed the troops to succeed, by doing the many thankless tasks that go along with fighting. Unfortunately, because of women’s lower class standing, male historians have often omitted information about many of these spectacular women.  The legends of these women have been popularized romanticized by male storytellers, making them seem more like sexual beings rather than heroes.

Dolores Jimenez y Muro

   Dolores Jimenez y Muro was a schoolteacher born in Aguascalientes on June 7, 1848 and died on October 15, 1925 in Mexico City. During the revolution, she

was a "political radical (a socialist by conviction), a poet by avocation, a contributor to left-wing journals, and a fervent admirer of Emiliano Zapata" (Macias 57). Jimenez also became a large political figure. Jimenez was a part of the group that formed the ideas for a "Plan" which formed the ideas for the "Complot de Tacubaya." The "Complot" strove to create a rebellion in order to bring Madero to power. She was asked by the revolutionary leaders that compiled the main ideas of the "Plan" to put the ideas together and give them shape. This resulted in "The Political and Social Plan" which was published in March 18, 1911. James D. Cockcroft states that the plan was basically "a forthright continuation of the principles set down in the PLM (Mexican Liberal Party) Program of 1906, with only slight modification" (Macias 58). Both documents contained many reforms that should be made by the government. These included the need for better working conditions, better wages, maximum hours of work, educational reform, and many more reforms. For example, it stated that in any foreign company operating in Mexico, at least half of the workers were to be Mexicans, and that they would earn the same wages and work the same hours as the foreign workers. (Macias 57-61)

    The document also served to show Jimenez’s influence and importance in the Revolution because in it she included some of her own ideas for reforms. Her roots as a schoolteacher were evident in her reform to decentralize the Mexican educational system. This would allow for schools to be locally funded and controlled, so that each school would receive individual attention. Also, since Jimenez herself was in touch with all classes of people, she could more easily see their problems and needs. This moved her to fight for reforms about the expensive and insufficient housing the lower classes had to endure in the cities. She also added that the value of city real estate should be reassessed in order to lower the cost of rent the lower classes had to pay. Because a 1910 census declared that women form only 8.8% of the work force in Mexico, they were often omitted from any economical reforms. Dolores Jimenez y Muro, however, knew that these statistics may be influenced by the fact that many women did not want to admit to working in front of other men, and that they may have worked outside the home in unofficial positions such as street vendors, artisans, or "raising animal, fruits, vegetables, and flowers for sale in town and village markets…" (Macias 60). Because of this, Jimenez was also the only one to draw attention to the fact that the wage increases should include both sexes. (Macias 57-61)

    Dolores Jimenez y Muro's publication of the "Plan" was so impressive that Emiliano Zapata himself decided to use some of the reforms included and also stated that "he had a need of such people in his ranks, and he expressed the wish that she and other intellectuals would join his cause in the state of Morelos"

(Macias 61). She joined the leader's ranks and led a rich political life until Zapata's assassination in 1919, by then in her seventies. (Macias 57-61)

    Through her own will to change the course of Mexico's political and economic fate, Dolores Jimenez y Muro became essential to the cause for which she fought. Considering the view of women during that time, it was amazing that she became a political figure that was much admired, which is a feat not many people accomplish, male or female. Jimenez went from relative obscurity as a schoolteacher to a political thinker in the ranks with the great revolutionary, Emiliano Zapata. Without her, the "Plan" may not have gotten the recognition it did by higher political powers, and she even managed to find respect for herself as a woman and her ideas from powerful male figures.

 

Hermila Galindo

    Another great woman political figure was figure in the Mexican Revolution was Hermila Galindo. She was born in 1896 in Lerdo, Durango in Mexico, making her only fifteen years old when the Revolution began (Macias 63). During her political career, she wrote many political treatises, was a public advocate of Carranza in many Mexican states and was the editor of the feminist journal Mujer Moderna from 1915-1919 (Macias 62). She rose quickly due to her intelligence, excellent speaking skills, and because "she had skills and abilities which Carranza was shrewd enough to recognize and exploit" (Macias 63). Carranza discovered her when she was selected to give a welcoming speech upon his arrival after the fall of General Victoriano Huerta. Carranza was immediately impressed by her eloquence and intelligence and asked her to join his government. This may have been a clever ploy he used in order to gain the support of women. Galindo was, nevertheless, a large contributor to his regime. She wrote articles and spoke to many women's groups, supporting Carranza's rule and to encourage women to join revolutionary groups in order to stand up to the Catholic counter-revolution. (Macias 62-66)

    Hermila Galindo was also important for her feminist roles. She founded her own journal, the Mujer Moderna, in which she supported feminist ideas and Carranza's government. She openly attacked the Catholic Church in her speeches and writing, which was exceptional because religion was never mentioned in other feminist movements. This was important because she realized that religious

preoccupation played a large role in the subjugation of women, which is why she supported sex education in schools. Galindo demanded equal rights for men and women, and even went in front of a constitutional convention arguing for woman suffrage. Although she was unsuccessful, she called attention to it by announcing that she will run for a seat in the Chamber of Deputies. This, too, was unsuccessful, but her tactics were later used by feminists in the 1920's and 30's. (Macias 62-68)

    Hermila Galindo was not always an adored political figure because she had the strength to face a popular opposition and state her views on many unpopular issues that might have otherwise been ignored. But, she was essential to the Revolution because she addressed feminist problems and had the means and the energy to make them public and bring them to the attention of the government. Galindo was revolutionary in demanding improvement in those issues, and although she was not always successful, she set a standard for future revolutionaries and feminists.

 

Soldaderas

    Women were not only important as political figures and role models. They also were successful on the battlefields. These women were called the soldaderas, or soldier-women. They were the battlefield heroes of the Mexican Revolution. Unfortunately, the names and personal information of most soldaderas have been forgotten or omitted from the history books, the name of one lives on in legend: Adelita. We can no longer be sure if the stories about her were of one person, or a compilation of many women's feats. We do not even know if a soldadera named Adelita even existed, but we can be sure that her brave feats were experienced by women all over Mexico during the revolution. Eventually, the word Adelita became a synonym for soldadera and people still remember the courage she is associated with.

 

This is a picture of two soldaderas, armed and ready for combat.They show the true spirit of the soldaderas. (Arrizon 21)

    It is sad that the only people that carried the history of the soldaderas to their full glory were the artists that painted, wrote, or sang about them. Most of the real facts of these women have been taken to their graves, and, sadly, many of the stories that survive show the soldaderas "as a model for the glorification of the female soldier who became the potential lover, girlfriend, or wife of combat soldiers" (Arrizon 5).

 

The two pictures above show very different views of soldaderas. The first artist on the top,Jose Guadalupe Posada, shows the soldadera as a menacing figure, a soldier who is ready to fight;

the only thing distinguishing her from a male soldier is her dress. The second artist, AngelMartin, portrays the soldadera as a sexual being, upholding the stereotype

that the purpose of a soldadera was to seduce the male soldiers. (Arrizon 22-23)

    The view portrayed in the last picture distorted the image of soldaderas because in reality, they were ordinary women that were extraordinary only in their will to fight for what they believed in. Most of them were mestizas or Indian women, including schoolteachers and wives of soldiers who had nowhere to go. They were both educated and uneducated, rich and poor. Many soldaderas went into battle with their children on their backs. Soldaderas showed just as much courage as their male counterparts during combat. They were also important because they had other skills that sustained the troops. They cooked, foraged for food, nursed wounded or sick soldiers, or performed other much-needed tasks. (Arrizon 1-23)

    One of the only texts that contains information about these spectacular women was in Josefina Niggli’s play: Soldadera. The author tried to depict the life of Adelita as a soldadera. Niggli herself was born in Monterrey, Mexico in 1910. She was sent to San Antonio, Texas because of the revolution in 1913, but spent much of her time going back and forth. It is a prime example of not only what the soldaderas were really like, but also of the romanticizing of their legends. Niggli won the approval of many Mexican literary figures, although she has often been criticized for writing it for an entirely American audience. (Arrizon 8-10)

    The play follows the lives of a group of soldaderas supporting the Villistas. They must guard the ammunition that is stored in their camp from the opposing soldiers. Each woman in the group has her strengths; Concha, the leader, is strong, depicted as a "'woman of the earth'"; Adelita is depicted as somewhat naïve, yet very brave (Arrizon 13-14). The women then find out that the Federales are coming and get ready to protect themselves and the ammunition. They realize the only chance they have is one of the soldaderas bombs the Federales. This, however, will also result in her death. The woman who is to do it panics and screams that she does not want to die. Without thinking, Adelita, one of the youngest, takes the bomb and destroys the enemy by giving up the ultimate sacrifice. The play ends with the rest of the soldaderas singing the song "La Adelita" in her praise. (Arrizon 1-23)

    Although the play depicts a rather "romantic" view of the soldaderas, it also shows that they were an important part of the revolution. Women were trusted with men’s duties on and off of the battlefield. They proved themselves as men’s equals, and showed that women are as successful as men in getting the job done. Not only did they put their lives in danger to fight for their cause, but their bravery was as admirable as that of the men who fought in the frontlines, if not more because often they did not have just themselves to take care of, but children as well. But, it is sometimes hard to see what goes on behind the scenes. Without women's support of the troops, they would not have been as strong. The soldaderas also cooked, foraged for food, and cared for the sick or wounded soldiers.

 

Conclusion

    Without these brave Mexican women, the revolution would have been a different battle and women would have never had the chance to prove their abilities or gotten the recognition they deserved. The revolution and the women's involvement in it brought feminist issues to light and made women realize that they do not have to stay in their subordinate roles by the stove. Women during that time struggled to fight for a better future for themselves and the generations to come. They fought bravely and selflessly and made their marks in the world. They should be honored instead of forgotten, as they have been until now. These brave Mexican women have set an example of what every woman should strive for.

    Sadly, even though Mexican women permeated every niche in the society of the revolution, they have gotten only a fraction of the recognition they deserve. Many of their stories have been forgotten or re-written by the society to which they gave their ideas, work, and lives. Despite what male historians have led us to believe, Mexican women's contributions were just as great as men's were. They were of primary importance in the revolution and were essential to the causes for which they fought. Mexican women broke the molds of countless generations, and showed the strength of the female spirit. They took on core positions that were not traditional and excelled in many predominantly male-dominated roles. Mexican women were revolutionary in the way they stretched the boundaries of gender roles and reversed many stereotypes.

     

Sources: 

Arrizon, Alicia. "Soldaderas and the Staging of the Mexican Revolution." The Drama Review. 42.1 (1998). 90-113. 

Bush, Diane Mitsch and Stephen P. Muume. "Gender and the Mexican Revolution." Women and Revolution in Africa, Asia, and the          New World. Columbia: University of South Carolina, 1994. 343-365. 

Macias, Anna. "Women and the Mexican Revolution 1910-1920." Americas (Acad. of Am. Franciscan Hist.) 1980. 37(1): 53-82.  

Soto, Shirlene. Emergence of Modern Mexican Woman: Her Participatrion in Revolution and Struggle for Equality, 1910-1940.         Denver, CO: Ardern Press, Inc., 1990. 31-66.