April 10, 1919 · Morelos, Southern Mexico Theater
April 10, 1919
Carranza's government, unable to defeat Zapata militarily after years of fighting in Morelos, arranged his assassination through a deception. Colonel Jesús Guajardo, a Constitutionalist officer, pretended to defect to the Zapatistas, attacking a federal detachment and presenting Zapata with captured rifles as proof of his loyalty. Zapata was convinced to meet Guajardo at the Hacienda de Chinameca on April 10, 1919. As he rode into the hacienda courtyard with a small escort, soldiers hidden in the buildings opened fire. Zapata was killed instantly, shot multiple times. His body was photographed and displayed publicly to prove he was dead — but for years, many Morelenses refused to believe it.
Commanders