Corrido del Plan de Ayala
Written by:Leonardo Kosta
Performed by: Tribu (Jesus Herrera,AlejandroMendez,and Agustin Pimentel)
1980

 


Diego Rivera-"Emiliano Zapata" 1932

 


In 1911
Right before Christmas
General Emiliano
Started the plan of liberation


IT was in the village of Ayala
That the army of the south
Put in writing
Wth gunpowder as their pen


Because Francisco Madero
All but guarded liberty
Now with chains and blood
The townwill be conquered


We will not give out blood
To give him the power
Not even so that he can govern
With his poor will


That is why boss Zapata
Quickly didn’t recognize
For the sheep skin
Had been taken by the wolf


We don’t want a compromise
With the followers of the Pres
It means more to us walk alone
Then with such cowardness


The words of Emiliano
say that if now the give
all the land and water
that such a thief usurps(?)


May all the towns live
With this revolution
And may all the wealthy die
The chiefs and the boss

En mil novecientos once
antes de la navidad
el general Emiliano
lanzó el plan libertador.


Fue en la Villa de Ayala
que el ejército del sur
puso en letra y en papeles
lo que en pólvora escribió.


Porque Francisco Madero
se guardó la libertad
que con cañones y sangre
el pueblo se conquistó.


No derramamos la sangre
para entregarle el poder
ni para que nos gobierne
su mezquina voluntad.


Por eso el jefe Zapata
pronto lo desconoció
porque la piel de la oveja
el lobo se la quitó.


No queremos componendas
con la gente del patrón
nos vale más andar solos
que con tanto recabrón.


La palabra de Emiliano
dice que ahora si nos den
toda la tierra y el agua
que usurpó tanto ladrón.


Que vivan todos los pueblos
con esta revolución
y que mueran las haciendas
los caciques y el patrón.

La Plan de Ayala:

Published on November 28, 1911 the Plan of Ayala has been termed, “Hallowed as a sacred text in the Mexican people’s exodus from Porfirian bondage into the promised land of Revolution” (Knight, 309). In publishing this document, Zapata met with key supporters, such as local schoolmaster Otilio Montaña in the hills near Villa de Ayala to discuss the turmoil of the era. Through their deliberations a two-pronged attack was scripted: first, a denunciation of Madero, and secondly, a call for agrarian reform (Knight, 309).
The authors of the Plan of Ayala first list the myriad of grievances against Dictator Francisco Madero. They write, “It has been clear and patent that he has outraged the sovereignty of the states, trampling on the laws without any respect for lives or interest, as has happened in the State of Morelos, and others, leading them to the most horrendous anarchy which contemporary history registers” (Womack, 401-402). The text continues to berate Madero, characterizing him as “Incapable of governing because he has no respect for the law and justice of the pueblos and (is) a traitor to the fatherland” (Womack, 402). Thus, the Zapatistas officially denounce the Madero regime, critical of his unjust and unscrupulous style of leadership.
The Plan of Ayala also demanded agrarian reform. It is important to note at this time that the plight of the Mexican agrarian farmer was in tremendous jeopardy with modernization threatening to replace manual labor. “The balance between land and work had been broken by the disproportionate growth of the modernized hacienda and the peasant’s survival was severely compromised” (Warman, 93). “The mechanization of modern industries enabled them (large agrarian enterprises) to increase production appreciably without increasing employment and even, in some cases, reducing it” (Warman, 95). This threat of modernization, coupled with the constant competition from foreign markets and ever-present corrupt government officials who did little to ensure suitable working conditions and rights for peasants, created a perilous environment for peasant farmers and a paradox of progress. Always conscious of the common man’s struggles Zapata used firm language to incite agrarian reform. Under the Plan of Ayala, “Not only would the illegally usurped lands of the villages be restored, as Madero had promised, in addition one-third of all rural ‘monopolies’ would be expropriated to provide land for the landless and any ‘landlords, científicos or bosses who opposed the Plan would be liable for total expropriation’” (Knight, 310).
Thus, the Plan of Ayala serves as a significant milestone in the discourse of the Mexican Revolution and the life of Zapata. As Warman explains, “With this program, notable for its consciousness, the Zapatistas ceased being local rebels only to become revolutionaries seeking power with the aim of realizing structural changes in the whole society” (Warman, 97).
To read the actual Plan of Ayala use these links:

* In English: http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=127

* In Spanish: http://www.patriagrande.net/mexico/emiliano.zapata/index.html

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