The Underdogs

by Mariano Azuela

  2 “Sayin’ that I was a Maderista”: A supporter of Francisco Madero (1873-1913), the wealthy landowner who started the revolution against Porfirio Díaz in November 1910, and became president of Mexico, 1911-13. Promising land and agrarian reform, he had broad popular support at first. He was arrested and then assassinated when Victoriano Huerta seized power in February 1913.

  3 “I was about to rise up and join the revolution”: From Macías’s account of his “run-in” with Don Mónico, and in particular from this reference to Madero, we can deduce that this occurred during Madero’s presidency, between May 1911 and February 1913.

  4 “And once it is over, they will say to you”: Cervantes is referring to the fact that after Madero came to power, following his successful overthrow of Porfirio Díaz’s regime, he did not deliver on his promises of land and agrarian reform, which led to a quick rift with leaders such as Zapata in the south and Villa in the north.

  5 “That is what Villa, Natera, and Carranza are fighting for”: At this stage of the revolution—and of the novel—in 1913, Villa is still aligned with Carranza. Natera, one of Villa’s generals, will remain loyal to Villa throughout the revolution; Villa and Carranza will begin fighting each other in late 1914.

  XV1 mezcal: A strong alcoholic spirit distilled from the fermented sap of the agave cactus; similar to tequila or pulque.

  2 General Álvaro Obregón (1880-1928): At first, an important supporter of Madero’s revolt against and overthrow of Porfirio Díaz. Then, when Huerta overthrows Madero (in 1913), Obregón joins forces with Carranza to eventually help defeat Huerta in July 1914. After that, as Carranza’s minister of war, Obregón fights against Villa’s armies in 1915.

  3 Owl: Owl’s name in the Spanish original is Tecolote.

  XVI1 “he would invariably recall the deeds at the Ciudadela”: A historical reference to Huerta’s overthrow of Madero in 1913, which led to Madero’s murder and Huerta’s proclaiming himself provisional president of Mexico. Huerta would stay in power from 1913 to 1914, establishing a harsh military dictatorship. The Federale captain in the novel is here fondly remembering his participation as a cadet in the coup (on Huerta’s side).The Ciudadela (the Citadel) was the main military headquarters for federal troops in Mexico City at the time.

  2 General Aureliano Blanquet (1849-1919): A military officer from the time of Porfirio Díaz, in 1913—during the overthrow led by Huerta—he is the one who apprehends Madero. Huerta then promotes him to division general and then minister of war and the navy, a post Blanquet holds from 1913 to 1914.

  3 “Long live His Honor General Don Victoriano Huerta”: From this imagined letter (which the Federale officer drafts in his mind), and the officer’s evocation of Huerta, it is evident that the actions in this section of the novel are set while Huerta is still in power, between February 1913 and July 1914.

  XVIII1 “the same day that Pánfilo Natera was commencing his advance”: This battle, on June 23, 1914, known as the Toma de Zacatecas (taking of Zacatecas) between the federal armies of Victoriano Huerta and the Constititutionalist troops of General Francisco Villa, was one of the bloodiest of the Mexican Revolution. Villa’s victory would lead to the end of the Huerta regime.

  2 Tepic: Capital city of the state of Nayarit. Durango: Capital city of the state of Durango.

  3 “the time of Madero”: Solís is referring to the period when Francisco Madero was president, from November 1911 (shortly after his successful revolt against Porfirio Díaz) to February 1913 (when Huerta overthrows Madero).

  4 El Regional: Both El Regional and El País are veridical newspapers that were published during and covered the Mexican Revolution.

  5 northern division: A reference to Francisco Villa and his legendary army.

  XIX1 weight of his “advance”: The revolutionaries in Demetrio Macías’s group refer to what they have gathered—ostensibly their loot—as an “advance,” as a way to say that this is what they deserve to be paid (in lieu of any formal payment) for their service.

  XX1 “Mexican Napoleon”: One of the nicknames attributed to Villa; the most famous of these was “The Centaur of the North.”

  2 “Oh, Villa! The battles of Ciudad Juárez”: Natera’s men are telling stories from some of Villa’s most famous and spectacular victories. In particular:The Battle of Ciudad Juárez (April-May 1911)—in which Pascual Orozco and Francisco Villa defeat the Federale army—a battle crucial to Madero’s overthrow of the Díaz regime.

  The Battle of Tierra Blanca (November 19, 1913), one of Villa’s legendary successes, in which he defeats General José Inés Salvador in Tierra Blanca (in the state of Zacatecas) .

  The Battle of Torreón: (October 2, 1913), when Villa’s division of the north captures Torreón (in the state of Coahuila), and Villa becomes a civil governor for the first time.

  The Battle of Chihuahua (December 8, 1913), in which the city of Chihuahua falls to Villa and his army (the northern division).

  3 Villa’s aeroplanes: The Mexican Revolution was the first war in which airplanes played a decisive military role. Although in this section of the novel it is Villa’s use of airplanes that is evoked with passion and glory, the use of airplanes would actually be a decisive factor in Huerta’s defeat of Villa, beginning in 1915.

  XXI1 “The machine guns did all the work”: First reference in the novel to the use of machine guns by the federal army. In the Mexican Revolution, Álvaro Obregón would use these successfully to defeat Villa in several key battles in 1915, including the Battle of Celaya in April.

  2 “to defeat a wretched assassin”: Solís could be referring to the original revolutionary uprisings against the dictator Porfirio Díaz, or to the revolt (led by Villa and others) over Victoriano Huerta, who is said to have had Madero assassinated in February 1913.

  PART 2

  I1 chorro: A vaquero; a Mexican cowboy.

  2 Towhead Margarito’s name in the Spanish original is el güero Margarito.

  3 War Paint’s name in the Spanish original is Pintada.

  4 Torreón: City in the state of Coahuila. Torreón was taken by the Maderista forces on May 15, 1911, and then by the Villista forces on October 1, 1913. Torreón would also be taken and sacked by Villa in 1916.

  5 Hidalgo del Parral: Town in the state of Coahuila. On March 24, 1912, Villa takes this town. This is also the town in which Villa would be assassinated, on July 20, 1923.

  6 “’cause he slipped two bills from Huerta”: Another reference to the various bills printed during the revolution (see part 1 chap. VI, n. 3).

  7 Chihuahua: The capital of the state of Chihuahua.

  8 Seven Sisters: A colloquial expression for the Pleiades.

  III1 menudo: A thick, spicy soup traditionally made with tripe, calf’s feet, and hominy.

  2 Tierra Blanca: Small town in the state of Chihuahua.

  V1 Antonio Plaza (1833-82): Poet and journalist from the state of Guanajuato, Plaza studied law in Mexico City. He wrote impassioned journalistic pieces defending liberal ideas, and very sentimental Romantic poetry. His work has not been translated into English.

  2 “and a few bills, of the kind issued by Huerta”: Another reference to the different currencies printed during the revolution. The women in Don Mónico’s house have but a few of the “Huerta bills”—i.e., from the time of Huerta’s presidency (1913-14)— which would have lost essentially all their value by July 1914, when Huerta went into exile.

  VIII1 Orozquistas: The followers of Pascual Orozco (1882-1915). Orozco supported Madero in the overthrow of Porfirio Díaz, and in the early stages of the revolution, after a series of victories over the federation, he was a hero in the north, especially in the state of Chihuahua (in particular, on May 10, 1911, when Orozco and Villa seized Ciudad Juárez). However, Orozco eventually has a falling-out with Madero and revolts against him. But Orozco’s revolt is unsuccessful, as Madero has Victoriano Huerta put it down (in 1912, before Huerta turns on Madero, to seize control of the federation himself). Orozco
is forced into exile in the United States; from there, he eventually recognizes Huerta’s presidency and, as the commanding general of all Mexican Federal forces, leads attacks against the revolutionaries and Pancho Villa. During this stage of the fighting, after Villa takes Zacatecas (in 1914), Huerta resigns and Orozco flees into exile again (along with Huerta). This leaves a number of “Orozquistas” for Villa’s supporters to go after, which is what Macías has just been ordered to do in the novel.

  2 The Indian confuses Orozco with Huerta. He is apparently thinking of the events of February 1913, which led to the assassination of Madero a few days after Huerta, the commander of the armed forces, conspired with Félix Díaz (Porfirio Díaz’s nephew), Bernardo Reyes, and U.S. Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson, against Madero, which culminated in the ten days known as La decena tragica [the tragic ten days]. Huerta took over the presidency on February 18, 1913, and Francisco Madero was shot four days later.Meanwhile, Towhead Margarito apparently once met someone also named Pascual Orozco, just like the famous general from the revolution. The Indian’s confusion—and Margarito’s comical doubling of names—once again reveal the extent to which Macías and his men remain very distant from the major political events of the time.

  XI1 Tepatitlán de Morelos: Town in the state of Jalisco.

  2 Cuquío: Small town in the state of Jalisco.

  3 Aguascalientes: Capital of the state of Aguascalientes.

  4 four crisp, brand-new two-faced bills: Once again, a reference to the various bills printed during the revolution, in this case, the bills known as billetes dos caritas (two-faced bills) that Villa had printed during his brief period as governor of the state of Chihuahua in 1914-15.

  XII1 Lagos de Moreno: City in the state of Jalisco, Lagos is where the author was born.

  XIII1 “To cast your vote, General, for the provisional president”: As a revolutionary leader, Demetrio Macías has been invited to the Convención de Aguascalientes (Convention of Aguascalientes) , held in November 1914, at which the revolutionary leaders (who had just defeated Huerta) met in an attempt to reconcile their differences and plan for the future. This effort would fail, however, and a rift would develop between Villa and Zapata on one side, and Carranza and Obregón on the other.

  XIV1 Silao: City in the state of Guanajuato.

  2 Irapuato: City in the state of Guanajuato.

  3 “Now it’s Villa against Carranza”: Natera is informing Macías that the Convention of Aguascalientes has failed, and part of the resulting rifts is that Carranza and Villa will now begin to fight against each other, in what would in essence be a civil war.

  4 “the convention won’t recognize Carranza”: When the discussions at the Convention of Aguascalientes of November 1914 break down, Carranza is deposed and a provisional president (Eulalio Gutiérrez) is installed. After this, Villa (in the north), as well as Zapata in the south, now fights a civil war against Carranza. Soon thereafter, Carranza and Obregón will flee to Veracruz, and Villa and Zapata will occupy Mexico City. However, the urban centers continued to be powerhouses of constitutionalist support for Carranza, and Villa’s actions in the capital soon force him to leave in 1915. Constitutionalist (i.e., Carranza’s) forces will continue to hound him until he is defeated in battle in April 1915.

  5 “So on which side are you going to fight?”: After explaining the political fallout of the Convention of Aguascalientes, Natera asks Macías if he will side with Carranza or with Villa. Macías apparently does not know or does not care about the political details, and seems unable to make an informed decision. Macías chooses to remain loyal to Natera, who earlier made him a general, and thus in turn remains a Villista (since Natera will keep fighting on Villa’s side).

  PART 3

  I1 “El Paso, Texas, May 16, 1915”: As is evident from this letter’s date and setting, Luis Cervantes’s “move” to El Paso neatly parallels the move that Mariano Azuela made after Villa was defeated by Carranza and his troops in 1915.

  2 “Didn’t we already defeat the federation?”: Anastasio Montañés is expressing his frustration over the fighting between the various revolutionary factions well into 1920, even though “the federation” had already been defeated (Porifirio Díaz’s federation was defeated in 1911; Victoriano Huerta’s federation was defeated in 1914).

  3 “Os ex ossibus meis et caro de carne mea”: In Latin in the original, Valderrama is quoting from the Bible, Genesis 2:23. In English, this verse is usually rendered as “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.”

  II1 Durango: Capital of the state of Durango.

  2 Carranzista scorpions: In the Spanish original, the term for “Carranzista scorpions” is carranclanes, a pejorative way of referring to Carranza supporters during this period of the revolution. The term is a neologism combining “Carranzistas” with “alacranes” (scorpions).

  3 Celaya: City in the state of Guanajuato, and also a reference to Villa’s defeat to Huerta in the Battle of Celaya in April, 1915.

  4 General Tomás Urbina: Known as “El león de Durango” (The Lion of Durango), a Villista leader who tended to evoke more fear than admiration. Later in the revolution, in September 1915, Urbina would desert Villa and devote himself primarily to banditry.

  5 Villa’s tremendous defeat in Celaya: Refers to Villa’s defeat in the Battle of Celaya (April 6-15, 1915), at the hand of the constitutionalist troops, led by General Álvaro Obregón. Obregón lost one of his arms in the fighting, but defeated Villa’s army. This battle was the beginning of Villa’s decline.

  IV1 “The trail of blood of the first revolutionaries of 1910: Valderrama is evoking the memory of the first revolutionaries who challenged the regime of Porfirio Díaz in 1910.

  2 “Juchipila, crib of the Revolution of 1910”: Still evoking the memory of the first revolutionaries, Valderrama in particular associates Juchipila (in the state of Zacatecas) as the birthplace of the revolution.

  V1 a year had passed already since they had taken Zacatecas: This reference further establishes the date of the current actions of the novel, since the taking of Zacatecas occurred on June 1914.

  VI1 Absent for nearly two years!: This line, combined with the date of Luis Cervantes’s letter from El Paso at the beginning of part 3, and the reference to how much time has passed since the taking of Zacatecas, allows us to establish that the entire novel covers a span of two years (1913-15). This also allows us to insert and better understand the actions of Demetrio Macías and his men within the historical context of the Mexican Revolution.

  VII1 unleashes its machine guns, and Demetrio’s men fall: This, the final battle of the novel, resonates with the manner in which Obregón was able to defeat Villa (as of April 1915)—through the military innovation, which Obregón imported from Germany, of using machine guns against cavalry charges. From a historical point of view, the novel thus ends as Villa is about to suffer a series of defeats, as Obregón would persevere with this new use of machine guns, a military strategy that proved to overcome the courage of large numbers of Villa’s northern division.