Study Guide: Soldaderas

An excerpt from our study guide compiled by Caitlin Crisp for "¡Viva la Revolucion!", our Day of the Dead celebration ...

Women were not only important as political figures and role models. They also were successful on the battlefields. These women were called las soldaderas, or soldier-women. They were the battlefield heroes of the Mexican Revolution. Unfortunately, the names and personal information of most soldaderas have been forgotten or omitted from the history books, the name of one lives on in legend: Adelita. We can no longer be sure if the stories about her were of one person, or a compilation of many women's feats. We do not even know if a soldadera named Adelita even existed, but we can be sure that her brave feats were experienced by women all over Mexico during the revolution. Eventually, the word Adelita became a synonym for soldadera and people still remember the courage she is associated with.

Soldaderas were ordinary women that were extraordinary only in their will to fight for what they believed in. Most of them were mestizas or Indian women, including schoolteachers and wives of soldiers who had nowhere to go. They were both educated and uneducated, rich and poor. Many soldaderas went into battle with their children on their backs. Soldaderas showed just as much courage as their male counterparts during combat. They were also important because they had other skills that sustained the troops. They cooked, foraged for food, nursed wounded or sick soldiers, or performed other much-needed tasks.


Without these brave Mexican women, the revolution would have been a different battle and women would have never had the chance to prove their abilities or gotten the recognition they deserved. The revolution and the women's involvement in it brought feminist issues to light and made women realize that they do not have to stay in their subordinate roles by the stove. Women during that time struggled to fight for a better future for themselves and the generations to come. They fought bravely and selflessly and made their marks in the world. They should be honored instead of forgotten.

Sadly, even though Mexican women permeated every niche in the society of the revolution, they have gotten only a fraction of the recognition they deserve. Many of their stories have been forgotten or re-written by the society to which they gave their ideas, work, and lives. Despite what male historians have led us to believe, Mexican women's contributions were just as great as men's were. They were of primary importance in the revolution and were essential to the causes for which they fought. Mexican women broke the molds of countless generations, and showed the strength of the female spirit. They took on core positions that were not traditional and excelled in many predominantly male-dominated roles. Mexican women were revolutionary in the way they stretched the boundaries of gender roles and reversed many stereotypes.