THE 19 MAIN CHARACTERS OF THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION - HISTORY - 2025

The main characters of the Mexican Revolution who were most important for the independence of the Central American country were Emilio Zapata, Pancho Villa or Porfirio Díaz, but without the intervention of many others, the conflict would not have been what it was. In this article we will discover the role of both heroes and those who were not so admired.

Mexico was the first country in the world to have a revolution in the 20th century. Porfirio Díaz had been in government for several decades and his opponents were impatient to create a political transition.

There are various causes that advanced independence and we could start when Francisco I. Madero, a politician opposed to the government, announced his famous phrase “Effective Suffrage. No Reelection ”and create the San Luis Plan. In addition to him, the following revolutionaries were part of this war episode in Mexico.

Who participated in the Mexican Revolution? The main characters

1- Emiliano Zapata

Also known as "El Caudillo del Sur", he is perhaps one of the most famous revolutionaries in Mexico. His image is identifiable by the majority of Mexicans today since his struggle was one of the most admired by the peasant people in the country.

He was born in Anenecuilco, Morelos, in 1879, and his popularity spread when a revolt began in his state and southern Mexico City.

Zapata advocated a fair distribution of lands that during the government of Porfirio Díaz were expropriated from their former owners (mostly indigenous) who owned it communally.

2- Pancho Villa

Another of the caudillos who are well remembered in the country, famous for his actions in northern Mexico against the government of Porfirio Díaz. This leader of the revolution was a headache for both his opponents and the United States.

He was one of the few soldiers who successfully invaded the town of Columbus and managed to escape from the American army without receiving any punishment.

Pancho Villa, along with Zapata, triumphed at some point in the revolt and was one of the leaders who managed to sit in the presidential chair.

3- Porfirio Díaz

The villain of the story according to the official books. Porfirio's government was one of the longest in the country's history, spending 35 years in power.

During his period of government there was a great economic advance in Mexico, however, he was also a dictator with a heavy hand who rebuked many opponents of his government.

Porfirio had a long military career and managed to consolidate stability and order in the country for many years. At the beginning of the 20th century, his government began to be harshly questioned by everyone, but because reelection was allowed at that time, the rulers could remain in power indefinitely.

It was thanks to this fed up with Díaz that the Mexican Revolution began. Various strikes and rebellions ended his rule in 1910.

4- Victoriano Huerta

Nicknamed "El Chacal" because he usurped the presidency of the Republic after the assassination of Francisco I. Madero.

Although he was only in the presidency for a year, Victoriano Huerta formed a bad image of a traitor that still remains in the minds of Mexicans. Once he became president, he assassinated 35 political rivals in just 17 months.

5- Antonio Caso

He was also one of the figures who participated in the critical movements of the time. Although it was not political, but rather academic, this Mexican intellectual shook the foundations of the Porfirian government: positivism.

Caso was a fundamental critic of positivist theory and although he never spoke out against the Diaz government, he was an essential critic of its ideology.

The Mexican philosopher was the founder of the Ateneo de la Juventud and one of the most important intellectuals of the time. Caso and others were pioneers in the consolidation of the most important university in the country.

6- John Kenneth Turner

Americans were also involved in the Mexican Revolution. Turner was one of the most famous chroniclers of the contest.

His book México Bárbaro documented the worst of the Porfirio Díaz government and predicted the armed uprising in the population.

Kenneth also witnessed various important events in the country and was against foreign intervention in the country, especially the United States, who took the port of Veracruz for a time.

He also witnessed the persecution that his country made of Pancho Villa to punish him for having invaded their territory.

7- Venustiano Carranza

He was one of the politicians who disputed power during the second stage of the Revolution and ended up being part of the characters who established the Constitution of 1917 that prevails in the country today.

Although official history maintains him as one of the good characters of the time, it is true that during his revolutionary period he used to loot the houses of the towns where he arrived, which is why the term "carrancear" was coined within popular language..

8 - Álvaro Obregón

Obregón is known for being one of the first post-revolutionary presidents. After the proclamation of the 1917 Constitution, the elected presidents sought the pacification of the country at any cost.

Obregón ruled the country from 1920 to 1924, a period in which the creation of the Secretary of Public Education and the distribution of lands of various ejidatarios that had been dispossessed in the time of Díaz stood out.

Like other politicians of the time, Obregón was assassinated in Guanajuato while being portrayed in a restaurant.

9- Pascual Orozco

Pascual Orozco was one of the revolutionaries who remained alive at the beginning and at the end of the fair. He participated together with Madero in disputes for power.

He created a faction of sympathizers called the "Orozquistas" and on several occasions fought his opponents, the Constitutionalists and other groups vying for power.

Pascual Orozco had to flee the country when the conditions of the revolution did not allow him to continue fighting.

He was killed by an American army when they invaded a ranch in Texas. This caudillo remained present from 1910 to 1923 when he was assassinated.

10- Francisco I. Madero

Francisco I. Madero was a landowner with a spirit for progress, he advocated favoring the working class of the San Juan Pedro de las Colonias people, where he built schools, dining rooms and free hospitals.

He toured the country encouraging people to fight against the dictatorship imposed by Porfirio Díaz. In 1910 his candidacy for the presidential election was approved at the Eliseo convention in Mexico City.

His political tour was frustrated due to an arrest in Monterrey for being accused of inciting rebellion and insulting the authorities, with Porfirio Díaz being elected to the Mexican presidency for the seventh time.

Soon after, Madero was released and planned a new strategy to end the dictatorial government imposed.

This strategy was supported by Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata, and other popular leaders. This is how on November 20, 1910, the people rose up in arms.

This plan achieved the resignation of Porfirio Díaz and later his exile to France. Madero, triumphant over the result of his maneuver, carried out a series of transformations in legislative and political matters.

These reforms were not enough to win the sympathy of the people and the various ruling factions. Madero was assassinated in 1913.

11- The Adelitas

The term "Adelita" is attributed to the popular corrido inspired by Adela Velarde Pérez, a nurse who helped many soldiers, including the one who composed the famous march.

It was about an extensive group of women who took up arms and took to the battlefield during the Mexican Revolution. They were also known by the name of "soldaderas".

They played a crucial role in the fight for the rights of peasants and women.

The role of the Adelitas was very important. They cared for the wounded, carried out missions as spies, and supplied food to the camps and soldiers.

In addition, they raised their arms against the social injustices committed by the Porfiriato. There were women who stood out within the ranks of the brave soldaderas or Adelitas, ladies who managed to reach high ranks within the military career.

Such was the case of Amelia Robles, who became a colonel and who at that time called herself Amelio, to displease the opposite sex.

Another prominent woman was Ángela Jiménez, who felt comfortable holding a gun. As an explosives expert, she was capable of taking down entire buildings with skill.

Hermila Galindo was Venustiano Carranza's secretary and activist for women's rights in her various trips abroad on diplomatic tasks. Galindo was also the first female deputy and a key player in winning the vote.

Petra Herrera was a collaborator of Pancho Villa until their alliance was broken. This woman led her own army with more than a thousand women and obtained a victory in the second battle of Torreón in 1914.

Many of them were not given the recognition they deserved and that they earned hard, because the society of that time still exalted the figure of man, while the Adelitas became a kind of mythological character.

Years later, the participation of women in the Revolution would set a precedent that would translate into the conquest of female suffrage.

12- Plutarco Elías Calles

He was a primary school teacher. His participation in the Revolution elevated him to the rank of general, in his fight against the Orozquista and Villista ranks, and in the overthrow of Huerta.

He was Governor of Sonora in 1917 and later was appointed Secretary of Commerce and Labor during Carranza's mandate in 1919. Later he participated in his overthrow.

He was in the presidency of Mexico during the period from 1924 to 1928, a position in which he carried out profound reforms in agrarian and educational matters, construction of public works, among others.

Well versed in the Mexican political system, Plutarco Elías Calles found in the revolutionary struggle not only a political argument but also a tool for the social and economic transformation of the country.

He sought to bring together various ideologies, for which he organized the National Revolutionary Party (PNR), which he led in the attempt to end caudillismo and bloodshed.

In this way, Calles thus began a political domain from the core of the presidency. It is also attributed the influence that would put the figure of Álvaro Obregón back in the presidency and his subsequent re-election.

He was also involved in the election of Obregón's successors until 1936, a period that was called “el Maximato”, due to the influence that Calles exercised as “maximum boss”.

It is known today as the forerunner of modern Mexico.

13- The Serdán Brothers

They were closely related to the revolutionary ideas of Francisco I. Madero, since they were active in the Anti-Reelection Party.

They were in charge of spreading political propaganda and inviting people to take up arms and join the cause to overthrow Porfirio Díaz.

Originally from Puebla, they are considered the first martyrs of the Mexican Revolution. Aquiles, Máximo and Carmen Serdán hid weapons at their home.

The authorities were informed of the Serdán family's claims, so on November 18, 1910, they raided the property with more than 400 troops.

But the brothers, accompanied by people who were in the place, faced this intrusion through armed combat.

The shooting lasted for several hours and surprised the authorities, who finally managed to take the house.

In this action, Máximo Serdán and other armed civilians were killed. Carmen was arrested along with her mother and sister-in-law, Achilles' wife. The latter managed to escape the fray, but was found and killed the next day.

Carmen, for her part, from prison was confined in a hospital until the period of Victoriano Huerta ended. Later she dedicated herself to working in various hospitals as a nurse.

14- Joaquin Amaro Domínguez

Joaquín Amaro Domínguez was born in Zacatecas in August 1889. He had a brilliant military career forged during the development of the Revolution and following in the footsteps of his father, who had also taken up arms in favor of this cause.

He was part of the Maderista ranks when he was still a private, through the forces of General Domingo Arrieta. There Domínguez reached the rank of lieutenant.

He participated in maneuvers against groups adept at Zapatista, Reyista and Salgadista ideas. Thanks to these maneuvers he managed to rise to the rank of major, and by 1913 he already had the rank of colonel.

In that year, the murders of Francisco I. Madero and José María Pino Suárez occurred, which led Domínquez to join the Constitutionalist Army, where he remained until 1915 and obtained the rank of brigadier general.

He intervened in a total of 22 weapons actions against the forces of Francisco “Pancho” Villa in the Southern Campaign.

He was Secretary of War and Navy. In this position, he implemented a series of reforms aimed at the structure and articulation of the Armed Institute, promoted sports activities and was very strict with regard to discipline.

After the Revolution he dedicated himself to educational work at the Military College, where he was as director.

Later, in 1932, he founded the Superior War College, where the professionalization of the army began. He died in Hidalgo in March 1952.

15- Belisario Domínguez

He was a doctor, altruist, journalist and politician. He was born in the state of Chiapas in 1863 and his political ideals were liberal.

His training in medicine was carried out in Europe and in 1890 he set up an office in his hometown, where he treated low-income people from marginalized areas.

Then he founded a newspaper called El Vate in 1904, where he strongly criticized the Porfirian regime and the government of his hometown, supporting Maderista ideals.

In 1911, with the arrival of Madero to the presidency, he was appointed alternate senator for the state of Chiapas, a position he held until February 1913.

After the murder of Madero and the entry of Victoriano Huerta to power, Belisario Domínguez began a tough opposition against the new government.

The Mexican Senate censured Domínguez for his intention to deliver a couple of speeches in which he described Huerta as a traitor, murderer and usurper.

These speeches were later printed and broadcast, an act that caused Belisario Domínguez to be kidnapped and later assassinated by Huerta's henchmen on the night of October 7, 1913.

This assassination unmasked the dictatorship that Huerta imposed, since after this fact the Senate was dismantled.

16- Ricardo Flores Magon

Intellectual precursor of the Mexican Revolution in 1906. He was a politician and journalist.

He participated in the first manifestations of anti-re-electionism, with which he ran into at the School of Jurisprudence. This opposition led to his first arrest.

His career as a news writer began at the newspapers El Universal and El Demócrata.

Later, he founded his own weekly called Regeneración, in which he worked alongside his older brother.

They criticized the corruption of the Porfirio Díaz regime, for which they were arrested on various occasions.

Later the weekly was suppressed, so Magón decided to go to the United States in exile with his father, one of his brothers and other colleagues. From there he takes up his publications in Regeneration.

He also became involved in the creation of the Mexican Liberal Party, which promoted very revolutionary ideas for the time.

Years later, back in Mexico, he promoted the armed struggle in border areas with the United States in clandestine activities with the Mexican Liberal Party, but it did not do much harm, since the real conflict would break out in 1910.

He was invited by Francisco Madero to join his cause to overthrow the dictatorial regime, a call that he rejected because he branded its intentions as capitalists, with no place for the people.

Magón firmly believed in the elimination of private property, the expropriation of idle lands and the distribution of it among the peasants.

These convictions made him commune for a time with Zapatista ideas.

A manifesto addressed to anarchists worldwide costs him, once again, his freedom; this time in a prison in the United States, where he died in 1922.

17- Felipe Angeles

He was born in June 1869. Following in his father's footsteps, at age 14 he entered the Military College.

Later he graduated as an outstanding gunner, but immediately devoted himself to teaching and then served as director of the campus where he was trained.

Ángeles was a man of strong convictions, oriented towards social and humanitarian justice.

He identified with the ideals of Francisco Madero, so during his government he led a humanist military campaign.

He was against the rebellion of Emiliano Zapata. Once Madero was assassinated, Ángeles appropriated the constitutionalist struggle, adopting revolutionary ideals.

His strong beliefs in equality and justice lead him to participate in the fight led by Pancho Villa, with whom he agreed.

This pair of rebel and military expert was what allowed the Villista army to achieve better results in combat.

The taking of Zacatecas is an example of that brilliant team that they made in battle. However, later on, the distancing between Villa and Ángeles was fostered, the villistas were defeated in 1915 and their leader exiled to the United States of America.

In 1918 Villa returned from exile and Ángeles again joined his cause. This union lasted very little because Felipe Ángeles is betrayed by a partner.

Then, Ángeles is deprived of his freedom, subjected to a court martial and finally shot in November 1919.

18- Benjamin Hill

He was born in San Antonio, Sonora on March 31, 1877. He was a prominent military man and led the Anti-reelection Party.

He communed with the ideals of Francisco Madero. These beliefs lead him in 1911 to take part in the armed struggle and even reached the rank of colonel.

He was chief of military operations in Álamos, his native Sonora. He developed activities against the mandate of General Victoriano Huerta in 1913 and commanded part of the Northwest Army until 1914.

He served as governor and commander of Sonora until 1915, and was subsequently commissioned.

During Venustiano Carranza's tenure, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general for his services rendered in the army and during the more than 24 armed actions in which he participated.

He also served as secretary of war and navy, and was recognized as a veteran of the Revolution during the mandate of Álvaro Obregón, on December 14, 1920. In this year, Benjamin Hill died.

19- Francisco R. Serrano

He was a Mexican military, politician and accountant born in the state of Sinaloa in 1886. He participated in 1910 in the Anti-Re-election Movement headed by Francisco I. Madero, in which he obtained the rank of captain.

Once the objectives of the movement were consolidated, Serrano retired to his private life and worked as secretary to the governor of his native Sinaloa. Serrano leaves this position when he learns the news of Madero's murder.

This event led Serrano to enlist in the Constitutionalist Army under the command of then-Colonel Álvaro Obregón.

He participated in various companies against Villista, Zapatista, Huertista, Federal and Yankee troops. These actions led him to reach the rank of Brigadier General.

Later he held important positions within the Secretary of War and Navy, between 1916 and 1924. Later he was appointed Governor of the Federal District in 1926, a position in which he held until June 1927.

This is how in 1927 he began his electoral campaign for the presidency of Mexico, being supported by the Anti-Re-election Center, the Socialist Party of Yucatan and the National Revolutionary Party, among others.

His opponent in the campaign for the presidency would be none other than Álvaro Obregón, with whom he fought in the army in previous years.

Obregón had pretensions to obtain an immediate renewal of his mandate, violating the principle of no reelection that prohibited such intentions.

Serrano was apprehended along with other companions while on his way to the celebration of his saint, on October 2, 1927.

On the orders of Calles and Obregón, Francisco Serrano and those who nominated him as a candidate were shot the next day.

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