** Mexican history mexico historia mexicano Revolution children niños








Mexican Revolution: The Children

Mexican boy soldier
Figure 1.--Here we see a Mexican boy soldier in a photograph taken about 1915. We do not know who he was or in which army he served. This is a well known photograph in Mexico. Perhaps some of the details about this boy are known.

Mexico was essentially at war with itself for a decade. The fighting reached every corner of the country and in some cases with terrible ferocity. Children as the weakest element of the population were among those most severely affected. They were affected in a number of ways. Many children were orphaned. Often it was only their father who was killed, but in Mexican society it was the father who was the principal bread winner which left huge numbers of families destitute. And this was at a time when the fighting was destroying the economy. Other children were affected or even killed in the fighting. This was only in part when fighting flared in threir ton or village. One aspect of the Revolution that has not been given adequate coverage is the role that women played in the Revolution as well as the long term impact of this on Mexican society. After the Revolution we see women emnerging as journalist, union organizers, and awhole range of roles that they had not previously entered. Many women went to war with their men. They played a range of roles from cooking to laundry to actually engaging in combat. It was not uncommon for these women to take their children with them. In some cases the children might be left with grandmothers or other family, but in many instances the children came along. The older children might actually join the army. Other children were involved in the forced levies that were conducted by the various warring forces. It was quite common to include teenagers in these levies and in some cases children not yet in their teen years. It shouild not be thought that the children were passive victims. Many children like their parents were caught up in the popular passions of the day. We suspect this was especially the case of peasant children. Middle-class and upper-class children were probably kept out of the fighting by their parents. Here the sane dynamic was involved as in the American Civil War. We have not yet found a good historical assessment of the impact of the Revolution on children. Hopefully our Mexican readers will have some suggestions here.

Impact on Children

Mexico was essentially at war with itself for a decade. The fighting reached every corner of the country and in some cases with terrible ferocity. Children as the weakest element of the population were among those most severely affected. They were affected in a number of ways. Many children were orphaned. Often it was only their father who was killed, but in Mexican society it was the father who was the principal bread winner which left huge numbers of families destitute. And this was at a time when the fighting was destroying the economy. Other children were affected or even killed in the fighting. This was only in part when fighting flared in threir town or village. We have not yet found important programns to care for the children affected by the Revolutioin such as orphnages.

Women

One aspect of the Revolution that has not been given adequate coverage is the role that women played in the Revolution as well as the long term impact of this on Mexican society. After the Revolution we see women emnerging as journalist, union organizers, and awhole range of roles that they had not previously entered. Many women went to war with their men. They played a range of roles from cooking to laundry to actually engaging in combat. It was not uncommon for these women to take their children with them. In some cases the children might be left with grandmothers or other family, but in many instances the children came along. One reason so many children swere impsvted by the Revolution is that so many women meaning mothers were involved and thus drawn into combat areas. Some mothers were involved in combat, but much larger numbers were involved in a support role and as the primary support giver, brought the children with them. Because of these this close involvement in the conflict, especially large numberrs of children were both soldiersb and caretakers and thus played a an instrumental role in the Revolutionon both sides.

Soldiers

The older children or youth might actually join the army. They were employed by all sides. More children were involved in the Mexican Revolution than might be expdected. A fctor here was the number of women ythat oparticipated in the Revolution. Mexican wimen did noit just stay at home, many accipabied their hisbanfs. Which meant that they briught the chikldren with them. And may of thise chikdrengot involved in the fifgting. Other children were involved in the forced levies that were conducted by the various warring forces. It was quite common to include teenagers in these levies and in some cases children not yet in their teen years. We do not see many child soldiers, but we do see quite a numnbr of teengers, including younger teenagers. It should not be thought that the children were passive victims. Many children like their parents were caught up in the popular passions of the day. We suspect this was especially the case of peasant children. Middle-class and upper-class children were probably kept out of the fighting by their parents. Here the sane dynamic was involved as in the American Civil War. We have not yet found a good historical assessment of the impact of the Revolution on children. Hopefully our Mexican readers will have some suggestions here.

Education

What is also imprtant for children is what came after the Revolutiin as Mexico expanded its education system. It is imprtant to note what Mexican children and youth were taught after the Revolution. What they were taught was alarge doese of socialism and social justice theology. One true believer provides an eloquent description. "The Mexican Revolution of 1910 was the explosive culmination of decades of economic transformation under the modernization program of Porfirio Díaz. Governmental policies intended to 'modernize' Mexico led to tragic results for the majority of the population, especially the rural poor. Paradoxically, along with its often indiscriminate violence and destruction, the revolution also served as a creative force, planting in the era's children, for instance, the seeds of a deeply held belief in social justice. The youngsters shared with their elders a sense that the revolution would ultimately bring about a more just and equitable society. In addition, the revolution left a legacy of symbols and myths that constructed a national archetype—the child as revolutionary and the revolutionary as child." [Leyva] This same social justice theology was being promoted throughout Latin America during the 20th century and is still common today. And it sounds beautiful. But does it work? It has now had over a century to work, but Latin America has not produced modern productive society. As a result large numbers of Latin Amerricans have been migratiung to the United States which has a capitalist economy and offers a productive economy and decent paying jobs. And this educatioinal philosophy cobtunues even though enirmous econmic progress has resulted from market reformns and closer economic integtatiin with the UJnited Stares as a result of the North-American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Sources

Chávez Leyva, Yolanda. "I Go to fight for social justice”: Children as revolutionaries in the Mexican Revolution, 1910–1920," Peace and Change: A Journal of Peace Reserach (17 December 2002).







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Created: 7:34 AM 10/22/2008
Last updated: 3:06 AM 4/1/2021