Morelos: Land of Zapata

excerpt from the documentary: The Storm That Swept Mexico

Morelos: Land of Zapata

We have spent the morning shooting in the Ayala Valley which is just a few miles from the birthplace of Emiliano Zapata. This beautiful farmland in the heart of the state of Morelos is where maguey and sugar cane are grown. As we set up for a shot, a pick up truck rolls up with three men inside; they are obviously locals.

As one of them gets out he walks up to me and asks "What are you doing here?" I explain that we are shooting a film about the Mexican Revolution and that we are shooting in this location because we are telling the story of one of the great heroes of the revolution, Emiliano Zapata. The man says "Welcome, I am a representative of the association of campesinos of the pueblo of Anenecuilco. My name is Jorge Zapata; Emiliano Zapata was my grandfather. What can I do for you?" I was stunned. The resemblance of this man to his grandfather is unmistakable. I asked if we could interview him for our film and he graciously agreed.

I spoke with him of his grandfather and his legacy. He explained how people in the area have had to continue to fight to hold on to the land which they farm collectively. Among a number of memorable quotes, one sticks in my mind. Jorge Zapata said: "The ideals that my grandfather left us in the Plan de Ayala have not been fulfilled as he desired. It seems that his struggle was fruitless. Once I asked my father why don't we have land? My father replied: "Because your grandfather did not fight only for us. He fought for the people in general." In the words of my grand father "The land belongs to those who work it with their own hands."

website: http://www.pbs.org/itvs/storm-that-swept-mexico/

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Zapata
• Mexican
• Revolution
• PBS
• documentary
• history
• mexico
• culture
• morelos

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