The Conventionists were a faction led by

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (,"Villa"
''Collins English Dictionary''. ; ;

and

Emiliano Zapata Emiliano Zapata Salazar (; August 8, 1879 – April 10, 1919) was a Mexican revolutionary. He was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920, the main leader of the people's revolution in the Mexican state of Morelos, and the ins ...

which grew in opposition to the

Constitutionalists Constitutionalism is "a compound of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law". Political organizations are constitutional ...

Venustiano Carranza José Venustiano Carranza de la Garza (; 29 December 1859 – 21 May 1920) was a Mexican wealthy land owner and politician who was Governor of Coahuila when the constitutionally elected president Francisco I. Madero was overthrown in a February ...

and

Álvaro Obregón Álvaro Obregón Salido (; 17 February 1880 – 17 July 1928) better known as Álvaro Obregón was a Sonoran-born general in the Mexican Revolution. A pragmatic centrist, natural soldier, and able politician, he became the 46th President of Me ...

during the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...

. It was named for the

Convention of Aguascalientes The Convention of Aguascalientes was a major meeting that took place during the Mexican Revolution between the factions in the Mexican Revolution that had defeated Victoriano Huerta's Federal Army and forced his resignation and exile in July 1914 ...

of October to November 1914.

Formation

Prior to the formation of the Constitionalist and Conventionists, the two groups worked together to defeat General

Victoriano Huerta José Victoriano Huerta Márquez (; 22 December 1854 – 13 January 1916) was a general in the Mexican Federal Army and 39th President of Mexico, who came to power by coup against the democratically elected government of Francisco I. Madero wit ...

. Huerta had overthrown President

Francisco Madero Francisco Ignacio Madero González (; 30 October 1873 – 22 February 1913) was a Mexican businessman, revolutionary, writer and statesman, who became the 37th president of Mexico from 1911 until he was deposed in a coup d'etat in February 1 ...

and taken over the government in 1913. Opposition to Huerta was led by

, along with generals Pancho Villa and

. They were loosely allied with

. Together, they defeated Huerta in 1914. At the

in the fall of 1914, the winning revolutionary factions were unable to agree, and a civil war ensued between the Constitutionalists and Conventionists.

Goals

The Conventionists called for more radical, immediate land reform, with which Carranza's government did not agree. They also wanted to implement the

Plan of Ayala The Plan of Ayala (Spanish: ''Plan de Ayala'') was a document drafted by revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata during the Mexican Revolution. In it, Zapata denounced President Francisco Madero for his perceived betrayal of the revolutionary idea ...

(1911), written by Emiliano Zapata, calling for the redistribution of land. In addition, Villa and Zapata wanted a decentralized federal government with more state autonomy. With this, the Conventionists garnered the support of the countryside.

Participation in the civil war, and fall

At the start of the civil war, the Conventionists captured Mexico City in late 1914. There were approximately 150,000 soldiers in both factions in 1915. By spring of 1915, Obregón began to defeat the Conventionists. Zapata retreated to his home state, occasionally sending troops to Villa. Villa was defeated at the

Battle of Celaya The Battle of Celaya, 6–15 April 1915, was part of a series of military engagements in the Bajío during the Mexican Revolution between the winners, who had allied against the regime of Gen. Victoriano Huerta (February 1913-July 1914) and then ...

, followed by losses at León, Santa Ana, Aguascalientes, and

Agua Prieta Agua Prieta (English: ''Dark Water'', Opata: ''Bachicuy'') is a town in Agua Prieta Municipality in the northeastern corner of the Mexican state of Sonora. It stands on the Mexico–U.S. border, adjacent to the town of Douglas, Arizona. The mun ...

. By 1917, Carranza was elected president and the civil war was over. Guerilla skirmishes would continue separately by the armies of Zapata and Villa near their home states. In 1919, Zapata was killed by Carranza's government. Villa signed a peace treaty with Carranza's successor

Adolfo de la Huerta Felipe Adolfo de la Huerta Marcor (; 26 May 1881 – 9 July 1955) was a Mexican politician, the 45th President of Mexico from 1 June to 30 November 1920, following the overthrow of Mexican president Venustiano Carranza, with Sonoran generals ...

in 1920, but died in an ambush three years later in 1923.

External links

Primary Resources from the Library of Congress about the Constitutionalists and Conventionists

John Reed's ''Insurgent Mexico''

References

{{reflist Factions of the Mexican Revolution History of Mexico Military history of Mexico