Emiliano Zapata

Emiliano Zapata (1879–1919) was a Mexican revolutionary leader from Anenecuilco, Morelos, and a central figure in the Mexican Revolution. He became the foremost champion of agrarian reform in southern Mexico, organizing peasant forces known as the Liberation Army of the South. In 1911 he issued the Plan of Ayala, denouncing President Francisco I. Madero and calling for the restitution of village lands and broader land redistribution. Zapata’s movement fought successive governments during the revolution, and his name became closely associated with the slogan “Tierra y Libertad” (“Land and Liberty”). He was assassinated in 1919 in Chinameca, Morelos.