Pancho Villa Look Alikes Take to the Street

This morning on my way to the Oaxaca Street Children Centre I heard music, a marching band playing "Roll Out the Barrel." Curious, I took a detour up Acala, a Street I don't usually walk in the morning, but it was the street the parade was coming from.

The parade consisted of a few trumpets and drums played by children likely in Secondaria and a large group of preschoolers dressed in revolutionlary clothes, along with adults, likely their parents and teachers. There were many little Pancho Villa look a likes, interestingly none were reminiscent of Emillo Zapata. It was an odd day for them to march because the governement declared Monday Mexican Revolution Day, but the actual date is November 20, 1910. The day Madero denounced Diaz.

Alcala Street

For those of you reading this blog who are not familiar with Mexico's history, here's a very brief outline. The first constitution was implemented in 1824, and ignored by dictator Porfirio Diaz who was a Mexican dictator in power from 1876 to 1911. Diaz suppressed the people of Mexico and was the primary catalyst that brought about the Mexican Revolution, which went on for roughly ten years, from 1910 to 1920. Madero was the first Revolotionary President, and was shot be those who placed him in power. Carranza brought the factions together, Zapata from the south, Pancho Villa in the north, the Catholic Church, the worker's unions and others to develope a new constitution. The constintutions that governs Mexico today is the constitution that was developed in 1917.

Independence from Spain, the Mexican Revolution and perhaps the expulsion of France are the three primary historic events that Mexicans celebrate. Sort of. . . ask any Mexican about their country and their government and there isn't a single Mexican, other than the few elite, who believe those in power are anything other then no count thieves and that the fighting and loss of life was all for nothing.

The kids did look cute, and the children at the Oaxaca Street Children Centre have their costumes ready for the concert they will give Friday.