Genovevo de la O facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Genovevo de la O
De la O in 1913
Governor of Morelos
In office 12 August 1914 – May 1915
Preceded by	Pedro Ojeda
Succeeded by	Lorenzo Vázquez
Personal details
Born	3 January 1876 Santa María Ahuacatitlán, Morelos, Mexico
Died	12 June 1952 Santa María Ahuacatitlán, Morelos, Mexico
Military service
Allegiance	Liberation Army of the South, Alvaro Obregon
Years of service	1910–1941
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Mexican Revolution

Genovevo de la O (born January 3, 1876 – died June 12, 1952) was a very important person in the Mexican Revolution. He fought in the state of Morelos.

He was born in Santa María Ahuacatitlán, Morelos. His parents were sharecroppers, meaning they farmed land owned by others. Genovevo de la O cared deeply about the struggles of farmers in Mexico. He became a great general in the Liberation Army of the South, leading small groups of fighters.

After Emiliano Zapata, the leader, died, Genovevo de la O and other fighters joined forces with Álvaro Obregón. Genovevo de la O then became a part of national politics for many years.

Early Life and Land Rights

From a young age, Genovevo de la O was known for defending his hometown and its people. He constantly fought against the large farm (called a hacienda) of Temixco that was trying to take over land. He also fought against trees being cut down and people losing their land.

These fights caused problems with the government of Porfirio Díaz. This government wanted to help rich landowners instead of regular people. Because of this, Genovevo de la O grew to dislike the Díaz government. He believed strongly in land reform, which means making sure land is shared fairly among people.

At first, he supported Francisco Madero for president. Madero had promised to reform land ownership. But when Madero did not keep his promises, de la O joined the farmers' movement. This movement was led by Emiliano Zapata, the mayor of Anenecuilco. In 1911, de la O was one of the people who signed the Plan de Ayala. This document listed Zapata's demands for land reform.

Fighting with Zapata

The Madero government did not agree with the Plan de Ayala. So, Zapata's followers, called Zapatistas, began to fight. Genovevo de la O became an infantry captain. He led small, surprise attacks (guerrilla warfare) for Zapata in northern Morelos. In just one year, he quickly rose through the ranks to become a major, then a lieutenant colonel, and finally a colonel.

Throughout 1911 and 1912, de la O's group of fighters, part of the Liberation Army of the South, operated near Santa María. They kept pushing back government forces. He made enemy groups retreat to Cuernavaca. He also strongly defeated a group of generals led by General Robles. His actions inspired thousands of people to join his group.

De la O's forces captured the town of Huitzilac in the spring of 1912. But the government forces did not want to give it up. General Ojeda tried to move supplies out of the town. However, de la O attacked these convoys, causing heavy losses. De la O successfully defended Huitzilac for a while. But in 1912, General Naranjo managed to get into the town and burned most of it down.

As 1913 approached, de la O moved his forces into México state. There, he faced forces led by the president himself, Victoriano Huerta. De la O became a general as the fighting continued along the border with México state until 1915. Huerta lost power, and Venustiano Carranza took control. Carranza brought more troops, which turned the fight against de la O.

As General Pablo González slowly pushed de la O back into Morelos, a terrible event happened for the Zapatistas in 1919. Their leader, Emiliano Zapata, was tricked and killed by Colonel Jesús Guaijardo. This was a huge blow to the Liberation Army of the South. The army was already becoming divided after many long years of fighting.

Joining Forces with Obregón

Instead of giving up after Zapata's death, Genovevo de la O and the other guerrilla generals, led by Gildardo Magaña, decided to join the new revolutionary leader, Álvaro Obregón. In 1920, de la O helped protect the retreat of General Benjamín G. Hill from Mexico City. Hill also joined Obregón’s forces in the south. Together, they made a strong attack on the capital city. They removed Venustiano Carranza from power and set up a new government.

On the first day of 1921, Genovevo de la O was made chief of military operations in Tlaxcala. Later, he moved to similar roles in Aguascalientes and Mexico City. There were still some small conflicts, but Obregón's government, including de la O, stayed in power in Mexico City.

Life After the Revolution

Genovevo de la O held political jobs until 1941. At that time, he reached the age limit for service (sixty-five) and had to retire. Even though he was officially retired, he stayed involved in Mexico's affairs. In 1940, he created the Frente Zapatista. This group aimed to keep Zapata's ideas alive. In 1945, he helped start and led the Federation of Parties of the People.

He died peacefully in his hometown of Santa María Ahuacatitlán. His death was much calmer and later than most of his fellow revolutionaries. His funeral was held in the Congress of Mexico building. He was buried in Santa María with full military honors.

See also

• Mexican Revolution
• Emiliano Zapata
• List of people from Morelos, Mexico