Eufemio Zapata Salazar (1873,
Ciudad Ayala
Ciudad Ayala is a city in the east-central part of the Mexican state of Morelos. It stands at , at a mean height of above sea level. The city is named for Coronel Francisco Ayala (1760-1812) who fought with José María Morelos during the 1812 Si ...
- June 18, 1917,
Cuautla, Morelos
Cuautla (, meaning "where the eagles roam"), officially La heroica e histórica Cuautla, Morelos (''The Heroic and Historic Cuautla, Morelos'') or H. H. Cuautla, Morelos, is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Morelos, about 104 kilome ...
) was a participant in 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 ...
and the brother of
Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
revolutionary
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 ...
. He was known as a
womanizer
Womanizer may refer to:
* "Womanizer" (term), a promiscuous heterosexual man
* "Womanizer" (song), a 2008 song by Britney Spears
* "Womanizer", a 1977 song by Blood, Sweat & Tears from '' Brand New Day''
* ''Womanizer'', a 2004 album by Absolute ...
, a macho man,
and a very heavy drinker.
Eufemio Zapata was assassinated by General Sidronio Camacho on June 18, 1917 in Cuautla. This happened after, allegedly, Camacho argued that Eufemio had beaten his father - which would be illogical since Don Gabriel died around 1895.
Historian Édgar Castro Zapata has made some statements about the death of General Eufemio to remove the legend that overshadows the murder and makes him look like an angry and alcoholic man who beat elderly merchants for pleasure.
In this way, Castro Zapata affirms that a fact that marked the death of Eufemio Zapata was the knowledge of a telegram in which Colonel Sidronio Camacho and General Napoleón Caballero were invited to join the Carrarcista ranks and betray the Zapatista movement.
"Eufemio intercepted that telegram, but in his eagerness to intimidate Sidronius and Napoleon, he was killed on June 18, 1917 as a result of a bullet impact. His inert body was abandoned five kilometers from the city of Cuautla, and later taken to the Anenecuilco cemetery, in Villa de Ayala, Morelos.
The betrayals in the Zapatista ranks continued and in that crossfire a general who also served as leader of Mexican agrarianism lost his life: Eufemio Zapata.
In popular culture
*Eufemio Zapata was portrayed by actor
Anthony Quinn
Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...
in the 1952 film ''
Viva Zapata!
''Viva Zapata!'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Elia Kazan and starring Marlon Brando. The screenplay was written by John Steinbeck, using Edgcomb Pinchon's 1941 book ''Zapata the Unconquerable'' as a guide. The cast includes Jean Pe ...
'', a role which earned him an
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role while worki ...
.
References
Sources
*''Villa and Zapata: A History of the Mexican Revolution'' by Frank Mclynn
*''Viva Zapata!'' (novel), John Steinbeck
Mexican Revolution of 1910at www.latinoartcommunity.org
Zapatistas
1873 births
1917 deaths
People murdered in Mexico
Deaths by firearm in Mexico
{{Mexico-bio-stub