Convergence of the Twain

24 November 1914 ~ carrancistas leave, zapatista vanguards enter Mexico City as sightseers. No expropriations except houses of the Morelos planters. Zapata stayed in a 3rd class hotel a block from the train depot. His underlings controlled city administration, and his brother Eufemio showed provisional president E. Gutierrez around the palace. Zapatistas disliked cities (power of state and officals), and encouraged the "cult of simplicity". Anyone in Morelos not wearing white pajamas, even officials, was derided as a dandy. 

Intellectuals played a larger role with Villa than with Zapata. Zapata only attracted anarchists and Christian mystics, while Villa was dazzled by education. Villa liked to memorize and recite sections of Juarez's 1857 Constitution. Zapata kept the intellectuals in their place and allowed them out occasionally. The core of Zapata's beliefs was his mystical feeling for the land, or to build free associating landowning villages. However, Zapata was far from being communist or socialist.

Zapata acknowledged 4 main problems:

1 ~ unable to export revolution to the far south

2 ~ endemic banditry

3 ~ his program was not in the main current of the Revolution

4 ~ no enduring basis to creating an alliance with Villa

The far south had no impact from the Revolution yet. Hacienda owners had not learned a lesson, and continued their methods. Banditry was a large problem for Zapata in the confusion of the Revolution. The worse towns for brigandage had small populations, poor communication, and absent landlords. Zapata also had to deal with the Janus face of the Revolution and its effects on the Zapata plan. Zapata was not anti-capitalist, and always sided with tradition. 

Villismo was eclectic and had several contradictory goals. Villismo and Zapatismo were a conflict of opposing values. Zapata had his own slang. 

Villa: "Zapata is a revolutionary, but knows nothing of war." 

4 December ~ the two leaders meet for the first time. They had obvious physical differences, and dressed differently. Villa broke the ice by insulting Carranza. Villa acknowledged his lack of education and background for presidential status. The two agreed to have control over the next president. They later discussed agrarian reform, and then went to a private room. Villa complained that Zapata would recruit anyone, and Zapata said that not all villistas were fully committed. They had mixed feelings on posing with the presidential chair. Villa's only mission was to fight, and was reluctant to take supreme power. Zapata's army was geographically isolated, peasant-based, and reluctant to campaign outside patria chica. Everything was good, until Villa murdered Martinez, and an "orgy of ravishing and murder" went through the city. Zapatistas were ruthless in killing, but Villa's men killed for vengeance and then lied about reasons. Gutierrez issued manifesto after detaching himself from Villa, and excoriated both men for their methods and history. He attempted to get the Madero family to join with him. Ultimately, the inability of Villa and Zapata to cooperate was their downfall, and caused even more problems later.