Genaro Vázquez Rojas (10 June 19312 February 1972) was a Mexican
school teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
, organiser,
militant
The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Lat ...
, and
guerrilla fighter
Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...
.
Civic Associations
Guerreran Civic Community
Genaro Vázquez Rojas studied law at the
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...
() (UNAM), but did not finish. At age 24 he co-founded the Guerreran Civic Community (CCG),
while teaching at schools in the slums of the
Federal District
A federal district is a specific administrative division in one of various federations. These districts may be under the direct jurisdiction of a federation's national government, as in the case of federal territory (e.g., India, Malaysia), or the ...
.
In the following year, 1958, Vázquez Rojas participated in the Revolutionary Teachers' Movement (MRM) during the strike and seizure of the
Secretariat of Public Education
In Mexico, the Secretariat of Public Education ( in Spanish ''Secretaría de Educación Pública'', ''SEP'') is a federal government authority with cabinet representation and the responsibility for overseeing the development and implementation o ...
.
Vázquez Rojas was eventually fired from his teacher's position and went on to represent coffee,
copra
Copra (from ; ; ; ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted ...
, and palm workers before the Department of Agrarian Affairs and Colonization (DAAC).
Guerrero Civic Association
Between 1958 and 1960, the CCG transformed into the with the stated goals of fighting for
land reform
Land reform (also known as agrarian reform) involves the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership, land use, and land transfers. The reforms may be initiated by governments, by interested groups, or by revolution.
Lan ...
and peasant workers.
On May 13, 1960, Vázquez Rojas called his first neighborhood meeting in the San Francisco district of
Chilpancingo, Guerrero, demanding an investigation of Raul Caballero Aburto, then
Governor of Guerrero
List of governors of Guerrero since it became a Federated state, state of Mexico in 1917.
References
See also
* List of Mexican state governors
{{DEFAULTSORT:Governor Of Guerrero
Governors of Guerrero, *
Lists of governors of State ...
. On October 30, 1960, the ACG led 5,000 people in protest in a civic stand-in, similar to that of a
sit-in
A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to mo ...
, in support of recent demonstrations by students at the state university. Two years later, on December 31, 1962, 3,000 protesters assembled in
Iguala
Iguala (), known officially as Iguala de la Independencia, is a historic city located from the state capital of Chilpancingo, in the Mexican state of Guerrero in southwestern Mexico.
Geography
The city of Iguala stands on Federal Highway 95 ...
, police attacked the demonstrators, 28 people were killed, dozens wounded, and 156 were arrested.
The ACG was outlawed following the protests and Vázquez Rojas was accused of killing an agent assigned to watch him. Vázquez Rojas fled to the north-east, where he lay in hiding for four years.
Genaro Vázquez Rojas was eventually captured at the offices of the
National Liberation Movement () (MLN) on November 9, 1966.
On April 22, 1968, the ACG attacked the prison in Iguala and freed its captured leader.
Following the escape, Vázquez Rojas fled to the hills of the sierra, where he began working on the goals of the ACG on a national level. With the new outlook came a new name, the ACG was reformed into the Guerreran National Civic Association (GNCA).
Guerreran National Civic Association
The GNCA, inspired by
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
's 1962 Declaration of Havana and the National Liberation Movement's (MLN) August 1961 program, was created to sustain a prolonged guerrilla struggle.
The GNCA aimed to create links to other guerrilla organizations and coordinate revolution not just through Guerrero, but also throughout the country. In December 1971, once the goals of the GNCA had been met, the organization was renamed to the Asociación Cívica Nacional Revolucionaria (ACNR). The ACNR continued to support the guerrilla groups and work toward uniting other radical groups.
Asociación Cívica Nacional Revolucionaria
The ACNR conducted three guerrilla operations, all taking place between the years of 1969 and 1971. On April 19, 1969, the ACNR organized an assault on the Mexican Commercial Bank; the attack was deemed a failure as the police were able to recover three million stolen pesos and detain the guerrillas who conducted the raid. Due to a mechanical problem with the getaway vehicle, a taxi, the guerrillas were quickly captured and brought to custody. On January 5, 1971, Conaciano Luna Radilla, manager of Commercial Bank of the South, was kidnapped on the highway. A ransom of half a million pesos was requested and received and Conaciano was freed. The final act was taken on November 19, 1971, with the kidnapping of Jaime Castrejón Diez. Diez was the owner of a
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
concession, proprietor of "Yoli" soft drink factories, Chancellor of University of Guerrero, and ex-mayor of
Taxco
Taxco de Alarcón (; usually referred to as simply Taxco) is a small city and administrative center of Taxco de Alarcón Municipality located in the Mexico, Mexican state of Guerrero. Taxco is located in the north-central part of the state, from ...
.
The ACNR demanded the release of nine political prisoners, two and a half million pesos, and formal trials of all peasants held in military barracks.
The ACNR received a ransom of 500,000 pesos, and the release of the nine political prisoners to Cuba. Diez was released on December 1, 1971.
Death
The ACNR, operating along the
Costa Grande between
Acapulco
Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...
and the
Balsas River
The Balsas River (Spanish Río Balsas, also locally known as the Mezcala River, or Atoyac River) is a major river of south-central Mexico.
The basin flows through the states of Guerrero, México, Morelos, and Puebla. Downstream of Ciudad Alt ...
, drew the ire of the federal government for their actions. In response, they were pursued by
army battalions, helicopters,
paratroopers
A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light inf ...
, and
counter-insurgency
Counterinsurgency (COIN, or NATO spelling counter-insurgency) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the ac ...
technology developed by the United States in
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. On 2 February 1972, Vázquez Rojas was captured by the army after fleeing a car wreck; it is believed he died from his wounds,
although local sources in Morelia disputed the government’s statement and claimed that Vázquez was extrajudicially executed by the army.
See also
Donald Clark Hodges
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vazquez Rojas, Genaro
1931 births
1972 deaths
Mexican communists
20th-century Mexican educators
Mexican rebels
Mexican revolutionaries
People from Guerrero
Mexican guerrillas
Military history of Mexico
National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni