“No podemos ni debemos permanecer impasibles”: las oaxaqueñas en la Revolución de 1910

Abstract

Because Oaxaca was considered the last stronghold of support for Porfirio Díaz, women from the state have rarely been mentioned in recent studies of the role of women and gender in the Mexican Revolution. This article, based on primary sources and newspaper accounts, traces their activities from the precursor movement of 1901 to the 1920s, and leaves no doubt that they were present in every aspect of the Revolution. It explores the experiences and contributions of women from diverse social classes and regions of the state who were involved in both revolutionary and counterrevolutionary politics. Particularly noteworthy are the local suffragettes’ bold demand for the right to vote, the short-lived reign of a Mixtec queen in 1911, and the moving stories of the soldaderas from Juchitán.