The document prepared by Francisco Villa was the drafting of the General Agrarian Law. The Mexican Revolution began with the coming to power of Francisco Madero, with the support of Francisco Villa and Emiliano Zapata.
But the development of the Madero government did not seek the emancipation of the people, and even less the distribution of land for the popular classes.
Statue of Francisco Villa
Madero elaborates the San Luis Plan, where it is only mentioned that it could be done with the vacant lands. This makes Emiliano Zapata ignore the Madero government and launches another fight with the motto Land and Freedom.
After the fall and murder of Francisco Madero came a new phase, the Constitutionalist Revolution, led by Venustiano Carranza.
The so-called Plan of Guadalupe, promulgated by it, did not seek the vindication of the people, since it did not foresee any social or economic change.
This is how great differences arose between the two caudillos; Carranza and Villa were at enmity. These differences led to the convening of two conventions.
The first was in Mexico City and it was a failure. The second was established in Aguascalientes. It ended with Francisco Villa's ignorance of the authority of Carranza.
For his part, Carranza ignored the assembly of revolutionaries, causing the rupture between the two caudillos.
The document prepared by Francisco Villa
Portrait of Francisco «Pancho» Villa. Source: Wikimedia Commons - National Photo Company Collection, Library of Congress of the United States. Reproduction number: LC-DIG-npcc-19554
It was in this revolutionary assembly that Francisco Villa and Zapata fused their ideals for the first time.
Here begins the third phase of the revolution, the proletarian class represented by Villa and Zapata, against the bourgeois class, defended by Carranza and Obregón.
Francisco Villa creates a document that favors the dispossessed. They fought in the Battle of Celaya, and the people's army was defeated.
When Villa found out that the Carranza government was seeking the recognition of the North American state, he made public the document he had prepared for the equitable distribution of land.
General Agrarian Law
The General Agrarian Law elaborated by Francisco Villa, as General in Chief of the Conventionist army on May 24, 1915 in the city of Guanajuato stated in its main points:
Said law was elaborated by the lawyer Francisco Escudero, and dictated by Francisco Villa. He gave the dispossessed a piece of land to work, but not as a gift, but for consideration.
With the necessary facilities, and also providing them with the necessary accessories to be able to carry out the crops.
This law never came into force.
References
- "Francisco Villa issues an agrarian law" in: Memoria Politica de México (2017) Retrieved in September 2017 from Memoria Política de México: memoriapoliticademexico.org
- "The development of the armed movement and the proposals of the revolutionary leaders: Emiliano Zapata, Francisco Villa, Venustiano Carranza and Álvaro Obregón" in Historia Quinto (March 2012). Recovered in September 2017 from Fifth History: historia-v.blogspot.com.ar
- "The Agrarian Law of General Francisco Villa" in: Google Books. Recovered in September 2017 from Google Books: books.google.com.ar
- "Manifesto of Francisco Villa to the people of Mexico" in Wikisource. Recovered in September 2017 from Wikisource: es.wikisource.org
- "Agrarian Law of General Francisco Villa" in Siglo XX 1910-1919. Recovered in September 2017 from 500 years of Mexico in documents: library.tv
- "Agrarian Law of General Francisco Villa" in the Museum of the Constitutions. Recovered in September 2017 from the Museum of the Constitutions: museodelasconstituciones.unam.mx
- "1915: Francisco Villa signs the agrarian law" in Poblanerias (May 2016). Recovered in September 2017 from Poblanerías: poblanerias.com.