Otilio Edmundo Montaño Sánchez (December 13, 1877 in Villa de Ayala,

Morelos Morelos, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos, is a landlocked state located in south-central Mexico. It is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Mun ...

– May 18, 1917 in

Buenavista de Cuéllar Buenavista de Cuéllar is a city and seat of the municipality of Buenavista de Cuéllar, in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero.Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI ...

Guerrero Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...

) was a Zapatista general during the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

. Otilio Montaño was born in Morelos to Esteban Montaño and Guadalupe Sánchez in 1877. After finishing his studies in Cuautla he taught in schools in

Tepalcingo Tepalcingo is a town in the Mexican state of Morelos. It at . The name Nahuatl root ''tekpa-tl'' (flint), ''tzintli'' (saves honor), ''tzinco'' (back of an individual), so in sum it means ''tekpatzinko'' "down or behind the flints". Tepalcingo ...

Jonacatepec Jonacatepec de Leondro Valle is a city in the Mexican state of Morelos. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. The municipality reported 15,690 inhabitants in the year 2015 census. The name ''J ...

and finally Ayala. In Yautepec he became acquainted with

Emiliano Zapata Emiliano Zapata Salazar (; 8 August 1879 – 10 April 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 insp ...

's cousin, Amador Salazar. In 1910 he supported

Francisco Madero Francisco Ignacio Madero González (; 30 October 1873 – 22 February 1913) was a Mexican businessman, revolutionary, writer and Public figure, statesman, who served as the 37th president of Mexico from 1911 until he was deposed in Ten Tragic ...

in his struggle against

Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori (; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915) was a General (Mexico), Mexican general and politician who was the dictator of Mexico from 1876 until Mexican Revolution, his overthrow in 1911 seizing power in a Plan ...

and eventually joined Felipe Neri and Amador Salazar in forming the Zapatista agrarian movement in Morelos. Because Montaño had some schooling and had worked as a school teacher, he was considered by the peasants of Morelos, who comprised the majority of Zapatista soldiers, as an "intellectual".Samuel Brunk, "Emiliano Zapata: revolution & betrayal in Mexico", UNM Press, 1995, pg. 266

/ref> After Zapata broke with Madero, Otilio Montaño remained in Morelos and in November 1911, together with Emiliano, co-authored the famous

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 ideal ...

.Peter Newell, "Zapata of Mexico", Black Rose Books Ltd., 1997, pg. 63
/ref> Zapata dictated the text of the proclamation while Otilio wrote it down and proofread it.Robert P. Millon, "Zapata: The Ideology of a Peasant Revolutionary", International Publishers Co, 1995, pg. 40

/ref> Subsequent to

Victoriano Huerta José Victoriano Huerta Márquez (; 23 December 1850 – 13 January 1916) was a Mexican general, politician, engineer and dictator who was the 39th President of Mexico, who came to power by coup against the democratically elected government of ...

's coup against Madero, Montaño fought against Huerta and eventually became a member of the Zapatista ruling

military junta A military junta () is a system of government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''Junta (governing body), junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the Junta (Peninsular War), national and local junta organized by t ...

, which was presided over by Emiliano Zapata and also included

Eufemio Zapata Eufemio Zapata Salazar (1873 in Ciudad Ayala – June 18, 1917, in Cuautla, Morelos) was a participant in the Mexican Revolution and the brother of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata. He was known as a womanizer, a macho man, and a very h ...

Genovevo de la O Genovevo de la O (January 3, 1876 – June 12, 1952) was an important figure in the Mexican Revolution in Morelos. He was born in Santa María Ahuacatitlán, Morelos,Genovevo de la O accessed Dec 28, 2018 to sharecropper parents. He was ...

, Felipe Neri, Amador Salazar, and Manuel Palafox (who acted as the secretary).Frank McLynn, "Villa and Zapata: A History of the Mexican Revolution", Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2002, pg. 185

/ref> In December 1914, Montaño accompanied Zapata to the first meeting with

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...

Xochimilco Xochimilco (; ) is a borough () of Mexico City. The borough is centered on the formerly independent city of Xochimilco, which was established on what was the southern shore of Lake Xochimilco in the precolonial period. Today, the borough cons ...

where he gave the welcoming speech and introduced the two ''jefes'' to each other. In early 1917 Montaño came into conflict with some of the other Zapatista generals. As a result, he was sent to the town of Buenavista de Cuellar. Soon, however, an anti-Zapata, pro- Carranza, revolt broke out in the town and Montaño was put in charge of suppressing it. Even though he had the leader of the rebellion hanged, he was accused of actually heading the rebellion. Although he vigorously denied the charges, influential Zapatistas including Manuel Palafox and

Antonio Díaz Soto y Gama Antonio Diaz Soto y Gama (23 January 1880 – 14 March 1967) was a Mexican politician and revolutionary during the Mexican Revolution. Biography He was born in San Luis Potosí to Conrado Díaz Soto y Gama and Concepción Cruz. He studied in ...

argued strongly that he was in fact guilty. Zapata left the matter to his advisors. A "

Revolutionary Tribunal The Revolutionary Tribunal (; unofficially Popular Tribunal) was a court instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders. In October 1793, it became one of the most powerful engines of ...

" was formed and Palafox and Soto presented evidence which was for the most part circumstantial. Montaño in turn accused the two of having betrayed the Zapatista revolution. After being found guilty, Montaño was denied

last rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. The Commendation of the Dying is practiced in liturgical Chri ...

and had a sign hung around his neck which stated "So die all traitors to the fatherland". Palafox refused to let him die facing the firing squad, a customary courtesy usually granted to the condemned who requested it.Frank McLynn, "Villa and Zapata: A History of the Mexican Revolution", Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2002, pg. 351-352

/ref> On May 18, 1917, he was executed, proclaiming his innocence to the end.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montano Sanchez 1877 births 1917 deaths People from Ciudad Ayala, Morelos Zapatistas Mexican generals Executed military leaders Executed Mexican people 20th-century executions by Mexico People executed by Mexico by firing squad