Women learning to shoot to defend themselves Ario Michoacan 1914
Dublin Core
Title
Women learning to shoot to defend themselves Ario Michoacan 1914
Description
Guerrero, J. Group of sharpshooters from the 48th battalion in Ario. Ario, Michoacán. February 1914. La Ilustración Semanal, 3 March 1914. © Inv. #63945, Fondo Casasola, SINAFO-Fototeca Nacional del INAH. Found in Photographing the Mexican Revolution: Commitments, Testimonies, Icons by John Mraz. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2012. 142.
The photograph depicts four women aiming rifles to the side of the photographer, sitting in what appears to be a dug out trench. Although their faces are difficult to discern, all of the women appear young and wear light-colored dresses and their hair in braids. This photograph was taken by a correspondent from La Ilustración Semanal who was stationed in Michoacán. This photo, along with others, was printed in the magazine under the title “The Services of the Amazons in the Lines” with the intention of emphasizing how common citizens were being militarized against Huertismo. The title suggests that the women were actually part of the army, although this may have been an exaggeration to persuade readers that the militarization of the countryside was total. It was published by Gustavo Casasola, another famous photographer of the Mexican Revolution, who described the women as “prepar[ing] themselves to defend their towns” because they were “so punished by the bands of José Inés Chávez García.” Chávez García was a notorious bandit who encouraged his soldiers to brutally rape the women of the towns he raided.
The photograph depicts four women aiming rifles to the side of the photographer, sitting in what appears to be a dug out trench. Although their faces are difficult to discern, all of the women appear young and wear light-colored dresses and their hair in braids. This photograph was taken by a correspondent from La Ilustración Semanal who was stationed in Michoacán. This photo, along with others, was printed in the magazine under the title “The Services of the Amazons in the Lines” with the intention of emphasizing how common citizens were being militarized against Huertismo. The title suggests that the women were actually part of the army, although this may have been an exaggeration to persuade readers that the militarization of the countryside was total. It was published by Gustavo Casasola, another famous photographer of the Mexican Revolution, who described the women as “prepar[ing] themselves to defend their towns” because they were “so punished by the bands of José Inés Chávez García.” Chávez García was a notorious bandit who encouraged his soldiers to brutally rape the women of the towns he raided.
Creator
Guerrero, J
Source
© Inv. #63945, Fondo Casasola, SINAFO-Fototeca Nacional del INAH
Publisher
Found in Photographing the Mexican Revolution: Commitments, Testimonies, Icons by John Mraz. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2012. 142.
Date
3 March 1914.
Format
Photograph
Files
Citation
Guerrero, J, “Women learning to shoot to defend themselves Ario Michoacan 1914,” Soldaderas, Space, and Memory, accessed May 18, 2024, https://soldaderas.omeka.net/items/show/4.