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Mural  in Anenecuilco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bullet Holes in Chinameca

 

Zapata's Trail
Country: Mexico.

The Trail of Zapata takes us through the key points in the life of a historical Mexican character of the Mexican Revolution and of current relevance, Emiliano Zapata. Symbol of the indigenous struggle and their fight for the protection of their lands. "The Land will Return to Whom Work her with their Hands", Zapata said. The same slogan is heard after 80 years of his death. Today we know of a Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) that struggles for the legislation of the rights and culture of the indigenous people, but that is another topic.

The trail that we traveled took us through three towns in the state of Morelos: Anenecuilco, Chinameca and Tlaltizapán. The order although not chronological with regard to the life of Zapata it is the most practical thing as for traveled distances.

We leave Cuernavaca heading for Cuautla, arriving to Cuautla go to the south, in fact we asked for directions to arrive to Anenecuilco, which is 15 minutes from Cuautla. The town receives you with a rusty and almost destroyed sign that says "Anenecuilco", from the entrance to the town indications exist to the Museum-House of Zapata (Museo-Casa de Zapata). If you have any doubts ask any villager, proudly zapatista, who will tell you where the museum is.

They don't charge you the entrance to the museum, every day it is open to the public, but pictures cannot be taken. They sell pictures of the house of Emiliano Zapata and of the mural that is in the museum, which takes us through the life of Zapata. The house covered by the building of the museum was built by the grandfather of Emiliano, inhabited by its father and by Emiliano during 30 years of his life. This house, the caretaker says, has more than 200 years. Surrounding the house are a series of pictures of the zapatista troops, of Zapata and of his children.

We leave Anenecuilco heading for Chinameca, again towards the south. When passing San Rafael Zaragoza you will meet a road intersection, turn to the left heading for Chinameca, if we wanted to go first to Tlaltizapán we would turn to the right.

Chinameca is easy to recognize by the chimney of the old sugar Hacienda that now says "Land and Freedom" (Tierra y Libertad). You arrive up to the centre of the town (the zocalo) and walk to the exact place where Zapata was murdered by the troops of the official Guajardo. In this place you will see a statue of Zapata on his horse, under an arch. If one observes the arch from behind, one will see the perforations made by the bullets. In this same place we can see another mural dedicated to the fight of Zapata and the entrance to the museum.

There is no admission fee to enter, and the old man that takes care of the museum told us some the history of Zapata and of Chinameca. He invited us to visit the Hacienda, now abandoned, behind the museum. The interesting items of this simple museum are the copies of the newspapers that reported the murder of Zapata. It is interesting to see how the official (government-owned) newspapers describe the traitor Guajardo like a hero.

We go to Tlaltizapán, headquarters of the General Barracks and place of training for the zapatista troops, the Liberator Army of the South. The building where the General Barracks were built, in the time of the Porfiriato, were property of the governor's brother of Morelos, Manuel Alarcón.

In this place, now an educational-cultural center, is (we consider) the best museum in the whole trail. We find pieces of the Revolution, as well as clothing and objects that belonged to Zapata. A good quantity of pictures, even of Zapata with his wife. A distribution exists of the furniture as in the time the building was used by Zapata, one even can see the bed of General Zapata.

Through the whole journey you enter into to the history of Zapata, Morelos and Mexico. The smiles of the inhabitants, when asking them how to arrive to the museums, is a sample of their proud inheritance. One enjoys the landscapes of the country, the history, and the encounter with the children and grandsons of the zapatistas troops.

 
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