TOMA DE ZACATECAS: ANTECEDENTS, CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2024

The Taking of Zacatecas (1914) is considered one of the most important military milestones during the Mexican Revolution. The city, capital of the homonymous state, was one of the main communication centers of the country. In strategic terms, their conquest paved the way for the capture of Mexico City.

After the revolutionaries ousted Porfirio Díaz from power, a democratic government was established under the presidency of Francisco I. Madero. However, the president was unable to stabilize the country and had to face several armed uprisings.

Source: By Best of Wikipedia, from Wikimedia Commons

In 1913, a military insurrection led by Victoriano Huerta ended the Madero presidency. The reaction to this event was swift and a united front was soon formed to try to oust Huerta from power.

The main protagonists were Venustiano Carranza, Álvaro Obregón and Francisco Villa. In a few months, thanks to victories like the Taking of Zacatecas, the dictator was forced to go into exile.

Background

The government of Francisco I. Madero tried to democratize the country after the decades of the Porfiriato, overthrown by the Mexican Revolution. However, their efforts would be fruitless.

On the one hand, he had to face some uprisings by other revolutionary leaders, such as that of Emiliano Zapata, who considered him too moderate in his approaches. It would, however, be a coup led by Victoriano Huerta and Félix Díaz, Porfirio's nephew, the cause of his departure from the presidency and his assassination.

Huerta's betrayal, supported by the US ambassador, soon provoked a reaction from a large part of Mexican society. Thus, the Governor of Coahuila, Venustiano Carranza, proclaimed the Plan of Guadalupe in March 1913, putting himself at the forefront of constitutionalism and against the dictatorial government.

Carranza was soon joined by other leaders of the Revolution such as Francisco Villa and Álvaro Obregón. Emiliano Zapata, from his southern fiefdoms, also declared his opposition to Huerta.

Zacatecas

Zacatecas was one of the strategic places in the conflict between the Constitutionalists and Huerta's troops. Part of its importance lay in its status as a vital communications center in the north of the country. His conquest was essential to facilitate the taking of Mexico City.

Apart from that, the main crossings of the railroad lines of the entire nation passed through Zacatecas, without neglecting its economic importance due to the deposits of silver and other minerals.

When Carranza launched his Plan against Huerta, Zacatecas was left in the hands of the dictator's supporters.

Aware of its importance, Carranza gave the order to take the city. Those in charge of doing so were the generals Aragón and Pánfilo Natera, who had 6000 men under their charge. This first attempt, developed between June 9 and 13, ended in failure.

Petition to Francisco Villa

After that first attempt, Carranza asked Francisco Villa to send reinforcements to the area. The petition stated that he should send 5,000 soldiers from the Northern Division. Villa, however, asked to march himself towards the city with his entire Division.

This possibility did not please Carranza. Villa's influence among the revolutionaries was very great and Carranza did not want him to accumulate more power and withdrew the order given.

Villa threatened to resign if he was not allowed to go to Zacatecas and Carranza, in principle, accepted his resignation. However, Villa's generals refused to place themselves under the command of another commander and, in the end, the Northern Division, with Villa at the head, prepared to take the city.

Preparations

The Northern Division set out for Zacatecas from Torreón, Coahuila. There were no less than 18 trains necessary to move all the artillery and men to the outskirts of the city they intended to take.

After two days of travel, on June 19, they reached Calera, 25 kilometers from Zacatecas. Villa's troops, almost 25,000 men, doubled the defenders and began to take positions around the city.

Despite suffering some attacks, the revolutionaries did not respond until on June 22, Francisco Villa himself arrived in the area. The next day the siege began to take Zacatecas.

Take over the city

On June 23, 1914, the army under Villa's command began its attack on Zacatecas. Despite the superiority of numbers and weapons, the capture of the peaks that surrounded the city cost the lives of many soldiers.

By midafternoon, the defenders began to retreat and the Villistas entered the city from three different directions. Many of the components of the pro-Huerta army were trapped in the fire, resulting in heavy casualties.

Looting

By the end of the day, the city was already in the hands of the revolutionaries. At first, the attackers decimated a good part of the defending soldiers, also causing many casualties among the civilian population.

According to historians, there was a lot of looting during those first hours. The next day, Villa ordered these acts of vandalism and violence to stop and even had some of the looters shot, although the damage had already been done.

Causes

The importance of Zacatecas as a communications hub gave it great strategic importance. A good part of the railroad tracks of the country passed through there, which was a fundamental factor in the war.

The conquest of Zacatecas practically meant having the road open to go to Mexico City and, consequently, winning the war against Huerta's supporters.

Economical

Apart from military considerations, the city of Zacatecas was very important economically. The area produced several types of minerals, most notably silver. The wealth it provided made it a prime target for the rebellion.

Consequences

The Taking of Zacatecas is considered one of the bloodiest military confrontations of the entire Revolution. According to official data at the time, 8000 deaths were counted during the battle. However, other sources claim that the death toll may exceed 10,000.

Some of these victims were not soldiers, as there were massacres in hospitals and churches, as well as house-to-house murders.

It was not only the defenders and the civilian population that suffered these losses. The attackers were also severely affected. The cost in lives was very high, which is why some consider it a Pyrrhic victory.

Decisive victory for the revolutionaries

The battle and the subsequent conquest of the city meant the dissolution of the Huerta front. The army did not recover.

Along with Zapata's takeover of the city of Chilpancingo, that of Zacatecas meant that Huerta was left with no chance of resisting.

Destruction of infrastructure

Before fleeing, the defenders dynamited the railroads that passed through the city. It was an attempt to delay the advance of the revolutionaries, although the final fate was decided.

On the other hand, Carranza prevented Villa from arriving first in Mexico City. To do this, it stopped the shipment of coal for the trains of the Northern Division.

References

1. Marino, Alejo. Taking of Zacatecas (1914). Retrieved from historiando.org

2. Mexico history. The taking of Zacatecas. Obtained from independencedemexico.com.mx
3. One hundred years of the Mexican Army. The Battle of Zacatecas. Obtained from cultura.gob.mx
4. History.com Staff. Zacatecas. Retrieved from history.com
5. Minster, Christopher. The Battle of Zacatecas. Retrieved from thoughtco.com
6. New World Encyclopedia. Francisco (Pancho) Villa. Retrieved from newworldencyclopedia.org