The city of was the scene of one of the decisive battles of the . After the assassi- nation of President Francisco 1. Madero and Vice-President José María Pino Suárez, General took power with the backing of U.S. Ambassador . But Huerta never had the public support needed to stay in command. Considered a traitor and usurper, his taking power prompted a reactivation in the struggle. Zacatecas was huertismo's last stronghold and when the revolutionaries took it, new roads were opened up in the fight for a constitutional government.

The Taking of Zacatecas'

ebruary 18, 1913, Victoriano four cannon in the city's highest build- for several months by the rebels in re- Huerta and Félix Díaz signed the ings and on the hills, particularly La Bufa peated attempts to take it back. F Pact of the Ciudadela (also called Hifi:4 Natera led 1,500 men against the From June 10 to 13, 1914, Natera's the "Embassy Pact" because of the role flanks of La Bufa but was rebuffed and men attacked the surrounding hills, but U.S. Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson renewed the attack the next day. were pushed back with heavy losses, par- played in the conspiracy), which put Huer- Zacatecas was not in the hands of the ticularly in Guadalupe, 5 where huertista ta in the presidential seat. On February 22, revolutionaries very long: a force of 1,300 General Benjamín Argumedo, from San President Francisco I. Madero and Vice- federal troops under the command of Luis Potosí, defeated them. President José María Pino Suárez were General José Delgado managed to recover Meanwhile, another important rebel assassinated. 2 the town. However, the city was besieged general, Francisco Villa, was racking up Many revolutionaries from Zacate- military victories at the head of the north-

cas, who alter the signing of the Treaties em armies.6 His successes confirmed him a of Ciudad Juárez3 had gone back to their rrer as a triumphant leader feared by Carranza Ba ta n

normal lives, rose up in arms. A month Da himself, the head of the constitutionalist

later, with the exception of its capital, all by army opposing Huerta.? A little later, there tos of the state of Zacatecas was in the hands Pho was a break between them and Villa's Di- of the Revolution. vision of the North moved into the war After destroying the main railway zone.8 lives and isolating the garrisons in the On June 19, 20 and 21, revolutionary North, General Pánfilo Natera, together General Felipe Angeles, alter reconnoiter- with two other leaders, decided to attack ing and creating a reserve force of 5,000 the city. Faced with the rebel forces' men, surrounded the city with his troops. offensive, the Federal Chief of Zacatecas, The huertistas held good positions: Gen- General Jesús Aréchiga, with only 900 eral Guillermo Rubio Navarrete and other soldiers under his command distributed artillery officers had fortified the area and in garrisons throughout the state, asked their artillery, rifles and machine guns coy- for reinforcements. Alarmed, Huerta re- ered a radius of 6 kilometers. placed Aréchiga with Colonel Miguel At dawn on June 20, Villa's Division Rivero, who distributed 400 men and of the North threatened several points; on

92 the 22nd Villa himself arrived, approved the Lomas del Refugio and Cerro de la Generals Angeles' and Urbina's arrange- Virgen Hills, while other commanders ments, and on the 23rd, ordered the attack. were doing the same against the train depot and Padre Hill. This simultaneous assault was suc- THE BATTLE cessful: about 1:30 p.m., the federal troop withdrew from El Grillo Hill, allowing

Villa and Angeles based their plan of Gatting gun used in the battle. the revolutionaries a short respite while the attack on simultaneously taking the hills artillery was strategically placed, since surrounding the city where the huertistas ly so they could fire on La Sierpe Hill, neither Villa nor Angeles thought that the were dug in. At 10 a.m., June 23, a sin- which was taken a scant 15 minutes alter defenders were willing to completely give gle volley of the revolutionaries' cannon the rebel cannon opened fire. To launch up the position. signalled the rest of the field batteries to the attack on El Grillo Hill, the artillery And they were right. About 2:45 p.m. open fire and cover the infantry's ad- had to be moved, an operation carried out fresh federal troops from the city began vance. The first objectives were the Lo- under intense cannon fire from the fed- to scale the hill, pushing the revolution- reto and Tierra Negra Hills. Twenty-five eral troops, causing the revolutionaries aries back; however, when the rebel artil- minutes alter the attack began, the vais- many casualties. lery began to give them support, they ta flag was flying atop Loreto Hill. The While the artillery on La Bufa Hill counterattacked and made a final assault troops that took these hills then rein- battered the troops besieging El Grillo alter 5 p.m., at the same time that the final forced the infantry attack on the north Hill, the infantry captured the huertista strike began against the La Bufa Hill and of La Sierpe Hill with badly needed positions on Santa Clara, and General the positions in the south. artillery support. Urbinas' forces drove the federal troops At 5:50 p.m., revolutionary flags Both Villa and Angeles ordered a few back to the La Bufa Hill itself. Natera, waved atop El Grillo and La Bufa Hills pieces of artillery transferred immediate- meanwhile, launched the attack against while another part of their forces took

Monument to the revolutionaries and distin- Two protagonists of the battle: Francisco Villa and Entrance to the Taking of Zacatecas Museum guished citizens of Zacatecas, on La Bufa Hill. Felipe Angeles.

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the train station and advanced on the cen- but there they were also driven back. them up, douse them with oil and set them ter of the city. At that moment, the fed- With no choice but to try again by way alight. Other cadavers were thrown into eral troops decided to blow up the Federal of Guadalupe, and, at great loss of men the mines. Despite these measures, how- Palace building to keep the supplies and and horses, huertista Generals Medina ever, Zacatecas was hit by a typhus epi- munitions stored there out of the hands of Barrón, Argumedo, Olea, De los Santos demic and a famine that made the year the revolutionaries. and Vázquez managed to reach safety in 1915-1916 be remembered as the "Year Federal General Luis Medina Barrón Aguascalientes. of Hunger." understood that the defense of the city The disputes among the revolution- was no longer feasible and ordered a ary generals were forgotten for a while retreat to Guadalupe. Federal General EPILOGUE when the United States invaded the Benjamín Argumedo led a cavalry charge Mexican port of Veracruz. In Mexico, with sabers drawn down Juan Alonso The victory of the revolutionary forces the parties at war protested, as did the Street, allowing his troops to move for- was the death knell of huertismo, which public worldwide. Argentina, Brazil and ward along the stream, but they were is why Zacatecas was given the honorary Chile offered to act as mediators and driven back by the rebel reserves situated title of Heroic City. However, the battle met in Niagara Falls to discuss terms. precisely to avoid the escape of any sur- had been very bloody, and the dead lay However, the U.S. government had vivors. strewn all along the city streets. Since already decided to support Carranza. The federal troops returned to the they were too numerous to bury and the Huerta resigned July 15, 1914, thus center of the city and attempted to decomposing bodies could have caused opening up another chapter in the strug- escape by way of Jerez or Veta Grande, an epidemic, the order was given to pile gle to reunite the country I!AM

Panoramic view of Zacatecas from La Bufa Hill.

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NOTES

1 This article is based on information taken from the the life of his prisoners Madero and Pino Suárez, they 6 The rebel army had severa] divisions, each under the chronicle now exhibited in the Taking of Zacatecas were murdered. When news of this got out, the revo- orders of its own strongman or revolutionary com- Museum, written by city historian Professor Roberto lutionaries regrouped under and mander. A peculiarity of these divisions was the sol- Ramos Dávila. began their struggle to restore constitutional order. diers' loyalty to their own commander first, and to the [Editor's Note.] intereses of the overall armed struggle second. The 2 Madero took office in 1911 alter having called for an most important rebel leaders, both because of their uprising to depose Porfirio Díaz, in power for over 30 3 The Treaties of Ciudad Juárez, signed May 21, 1911, influence and their strategies, were of years. However, both society and the economy contin- established peace and a cease fire between the revolu- the Division of the South and Francisco Villa of the ued to be organized just as it had been under Díaz and tionary forces led by Madero and the Division of the North. [Editor's Note.] Madero's own party had serious internal differences. under the Porfirio Díaz government, thus ending 30 Guided by his democratic zeal, Madero did not really years of dictatorship. [Editor's Note.] 7 Carranza was uneasy about the strength grow- comprehend how complex the situation was. This ing strength; Villa, in turn, distrusted Carranza be- caused concern among those with economic power, 4 The city of Zacatecas is surrounded by hills, the most cause of his dictatorial behavior, which Villa thought who thought energetic action should be taken against important of which is La Bufa, overlooking the whole was dividing the different states of Mexico. the government. With the aid of the U.S. ambassador, town. Huerta's forces held strategic positions on all the the remaining Pofflrista forces and the revolutionary hills, making the siege of the city more difficult. 8 The arrival of the Division of the North under Villa generals Victoriano Huerta and Félix Díaz, the Pact of [Editor's Note.] was decisive because it joined forces with the Division the Ciudadela was signed, which decreed the resigna- of the Center, creating a force larger in both armament t'ion of the president and vice-president and put Huer- 5 Guadalupe is a town a few kilometers east of Zaca- and men than the federal forces. ta in office. Despite Huerta's having sworn to respect tecas. [Editor's Note.]

A Museum With a Whiff of Powder

he Taking of Zacatecas Museum sits atop the La battles. Outside, statues of the revolutionary generals, TBufa HUI. an open-air window on the city of Zaca- protagonists of the taking of Zacatecas and the death of tecas. It is a small place with photographs, maps, huertismo: Pánfilo Natera, Francisco Villa and Felipe weapons, furniture and other memorabilia of the pass- Angeles. Their horses recail the way the riders later ing of the revolution through the crea. Mexican scenes died: Angeles' mount, relaxed, reminds us that his from early in the century, remembrances of the days horseman died a natural death; Villa's steed hints at when the revolution dictated life and death. Showcases his dying in an ambush; Natera's horse recalls his mas- exhibiting the famous bilinbiques —the ephemeral cur- ter standing ramrod straight before a firing squad. Each rency printed by each revolutionary army— turned into June 23, homage is paid to these and other heroes of toptlios, or useless paper —to the misfortune of their the battle. holders— as soon as the winds blew against their The visitor can also see the La Bufa chapel-sanctu- issuers. The revolutionaries' favorite 30-30 carbines, ary. Built in 1739 and dedicated to Zacatecas' patron the topic of innumerable popular corrido songs. A can- sant, Our Lady of Protection, it is the city's oldest. To non that may have been definitive in winning the battle. finish your visit, take the telpher slowly across to the As you leave, you ask yourself how the city was able other side of the city where you can admire its streets to save its many baroque treasures from the savage and buildings from another vantage point.

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