Battle of Cuautla (1911)

Battle of Cuautla
Part of Mexican Revolution
Zapata's troops on the march in Morelos
Date May 11–19, 1911 Location Cuautla, Morelos Result Victory for Zapata
Belligerents
Zapatistas	Fifth Cavalry Regiment of the Mexican Federal Army
Commanders and leaders
Emiliano Zapata	Col. Eutiquio Munguia
Strength
4,000	350–400
Casualties and losses
Between 1,000 and 1,500	Only a handful survived

The Battle of Cuautla was a battle between the forces of Emiliano Zapata and the federal army of the Mexican government that took place in the state of Morelos from May 11–19, 1911, during the Mexican Revolution. It has been described as the "six of the most terrible days of battle in the whole Revolution". Eventually, the remains of the defending "Golden Fifth" regiment, the Fifth Cavalry Regiment of the Federal Army, withdrew and Zapata took control of the town. The Zapatista victory convinced Porfirio Díaz to come to terms with Francisco Madero, agree to the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez and resign as president.

While the Zapatistas enjoyed numerical supremacy, the federal troops held strong defensive positions, were better armed and trained, and unlike the rebels, had artillery with them.

In late 1910 and early 1911 armed insurrections against the regime of Porfirio Díaz broke out throughout Mexico. The two main centers of opposition were located in the northern state of Chihuahua, where Francisco Madero, Pancho Villa and Pascual Orozco besieged the city of Ciudad Juárez, and the state of Morelos, where Emiliano Zapata led an armed agrarian uprising.

By early March Zapata became concerned that if he did not control the main urban centers in Morelos before Madero began negotiations with Díaz, the demands of his movement would be sidelined. He also wanted to ensure the autonomy of Morelos from the national government. Finally, Zapata's rise in Morelos created the potential for conflict with the powerful Figueroa family who controlled the neighboring state of Guerrero.

On April 22, 1911, Zapata met with Ambrosio Figueroa and the two agreed that they would operate independently anywhere in Mexico, with Zapata in supreme command if joint operations were carried out in Morelos. Figueroa promised military support to Zapata in Morelos but Zapata did not trust him. Zapata was afraid that if he attacked the easiest target, the city of Jojutla, which traditionally paid protection money to the Figueroas, they and their troops would abandon him and leave him faced against a numerically superior force of federal troops. Consequently, he decided to attack the better garrisoned and fortified city of Cuautla.

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