Cavalry Action In the Mexican Revolution

Pat Holscher · Wed Nov 30, 2005 9:15 pm

JV Puleo · Wed Nov 30, 2005 10:15 pm

Pat,

http://runyon.lib.utexas.edu/r/RUN00000 ... N00059.JPG

On the right of this picture, above the heads of the men, is a huge six-cylinder touring car ca. 1910-1912. I can't tell what make but it would have been very expensive no matter who made it. Not the sort of thing I associate with Mexican Revolutionaries but then perhaps these guys were pretty important.

Joe Puleo

Ron Smith · Thu Dec 01, 2005 7:03 am

Originally posted by JV Puleo
Pat,

http://runyon.lib.utexas.edu/r/RUN00000 ... N00059.JPG

On the right of this picture, above the heads of the men, is a huge six-cylinder touring car ca. 1910-1912. I can't tell what make but it would have been very expensive no matter who made it. Not the sort of thing I associate with Mexican Revolutionaries but then perhaps these guys were pretty important.

Joe Puleo

Joe,
Those fellas are well dressed, equipped and well fed. More than likely they are not Peons of the cause they represent. However there numerous wealthy Europeans and US citizens who lost their properties to any one of the three main factions.

Of course it is all speculation w/o knowing who these guys are but I doubt they purchased that fine auto. What a find that would be today!

Regards,
Ron Smith

Pat Holscher · Thu Dec 01, 2005 8:19 am

When looking at photos of the Mexican Revolution, I'm often struck by how the scenes to not match those we'd expect. I suppose that's in part because our image of the Revolution is so characterized by the film portrayal of it, even from the early days of film. In some ways, it's hard to not to think of an image from The Wild Bunch, or The Professionals.

Some of the people and scenese really do look just like we'd expect. Large somberos, and traditional Mexican dress that look much like we'd see in 1848. But others look much those that could have been taken in any Southwestern rural scene of the same era, men dressed with lace up riding boots and short brimmed Montana Peak hats. This photo is a good example:

http://runyon.lib.utexas.edu/r/RUN00000 ... N00093.JPG

Some of these Villistas look just like you'd imagine, big hats and all, while one in the center could be mistaken for an American soldier of this era.

City scenes in particular show things that for those of us who have never been to Mexico are surprising. Regular urban scense of that era that could have been taken in any European city, while rural scense can show men in white cotton and no shoes, carrying a saber, perhaps. Quite a contrast.

There was quite a bit of money in Mexico at this time, along with tremendous poverty. Some of the men opposing the government of Huerta were fairly wealthy, although most of them were not. Tragically, I suppose, the revolution never really addressed the root cuases of the widespread poverty, but only tended to elevate some of the revolutionary leaders into the status of those they had deposed, or so it was in many instances.

Anyhow, of all the Mexican revolutionary groups, only the Zapatistas really look like we'd imagine.

Pat

Joseph Sullivan · Thu Dec 01, 2005 9:04 am

Quite right, and of course, the revolution itself was far from organized and its various leaders had differing agendas. Villa personally detested Mexicans of European origins, especially those with means. Some others among the leadership were not quite so racial in their thinking.

In Mexico today yu can see extreme contrasts of wealth and poverty, and you can see Indians in something pretty close to traditional native dress. Once a few years ago I was in the Archaelogical Museum in Mexico City, and noticed a group of Indians in dress that could for the most part have been seen 200 years ago. My first thought was that they were connected with the Museum and doing a demonstartion of some kind. Wrong! They were visitors, just like me. Those clothes were what they wore every day.

Pat Holscher · Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:06 pm

Originally posted by Joseph Sullivan
Quite right, and of course, the revolution itself was far from organized and its various leaders had differing agendas. Villa personally detested Mexicans of European origins, especially those with means. Some others among the leadership were not quite so racial in their thinking.

Indeed, in terms of goals, while all the Mexican Revolutionaries, save for Zapata, claimed Modero as their inspiration. There were was no real unity until after Carranza was essentially deposed. That lead to the installment of the PRI, but even the PRI contained members that varied so widely in thought that some were essentially Communists, and some were essentially Facists, and the rest were something in between.

Zapata was the truest to his goals, which meant that his movement, while noble, was doomed from the start.

Pat

Pat Holscher · Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:07 am

Classic image of Mexican troops, armed with 98s, riding a train.

http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source ... id=3319590

Pat

Pat Holscher · Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:09 am

Carrazaistas riding a train.

http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source ... id=3090290

Pat

Pat Holscher · Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:16 am

This is an interesting image showing Mexican troops in the 40s. Note the Adrian helmets:

http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source ... d=50489764

In this one note the caps. In these photos, they almost look like French troops. These infantrymen are carrying the Mexican M1936 Mauser. It was a 7x57 rifle, but shows the influence of the M1903 in having a knob on the back of the cocking piece, which was not the norm of 98s. The final Mexican Mauser, the M1954, was in .30-06 and featured sights closely resembling the M1903A3.

http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source ... d=50489763

Pat Holscher · Thu Jun 11, 2009 5:12 pm

Pat Holscher · Thu Jun 11, 2009 7:17 pm

Pat Holscher · Thu Jun 11, 2009 7:21 pm

Pat Holscher · Sun Mar 06, 2016 9:59 pm

Bumped up in light of the centenary of the commencement of the Punitive Expedition on March 9.