Zapata Project 1

Porfirio Diaz
(September 16, 1830 - July 2, 1915)
Mexican dictator. In 1876, after losing the presidential election, he led a revolt and
seized power. He ruled for 35 years, and was overthrown in the 1910 revolution
led by Francisco Madero. His rule was a mix of contradictions: on one hand, he
wished to modernise the country; on the other he supported haciendas throughout
his rule, allowing wealthy landowners to encroach onto village-owned land and
using rurales (rural police) to enforce this theft. He died in Paris in 1915.
Alvaro Obregon
(February 19, 1879 - July 17, 1928)
Born into a working-class family in northern Mexico, he worked as a
laborer during his youth. After the Mexican revolution of 1910, he
joined the revolutionaries and quickly become a powerful general in the
camp of Venustiano Carranza. When Carranza later denied him a bid for
the presidency, he overthrew him. Obregon was elected president in
1920. The Mexican revolution ended during his presidency.
Other character’s in our story:
***Note to teachers: Though the story around the following characters has been fictionalized, the people themselves existed and
were carefully researched to give dimension to the account of Zapata’s life, which had love as well as war. Though they’re not
crucial to the story of the Mexican Revolution, you might find the following profiles helpful in answering student’s questions
when reviewing the scenes included in your video guide.
Rosa Maria Rendón
Rosa MarÌa is the daughter of Don Eugenio RendÛn, a wealthy, land-usurping hacienda owner. Her mother
died when she was eight and she grows up under the care of Nana Lorenza. She loves the land and is aware
of the farmer’s hard work. Upon turning twenty, she goes to London to study medicine, a profession that
was just then beginning to accept women. When our story begins, she is on a school break to visit her
father. She meets Zapata and the strong attraction he exerts over her will transform her world inevitably.
Josefa Espejo
A young peasant girl, a dreamer who sees her life transformed by history. When the civil war explodes in
Morelos, Josefa finds in her love for Zapata a reason to join a revolution and devote her life to the struggles
of her people. She was his last wife of record and together, they had a son.
Captain Fernando Cevallos (Unsure of spelling of last name)
A career military man trained in France, as was the custom of the times. He returns to Mexico to join the army
of Porfirio Diaz in a time of apparent peace and tranquility. With the onset of revolutionary hostilities, Cevallos
finds the reason for his existence. Though he makes mistakes, he manages a deft transfer of loyalties from
president to president, using treason, deceit and cruelty in his quest for social standing and political survival.
Don Eugenio Rendón
The typical potentate landowner of the time, he initiates industrialization by replacing the traditional
harvests for the more prosperous sugar cane. A proud and powerful man, he believes he owns the land...
and the men who work his fields.