Women soldiers (soldaderas) played an important role during the Mexican Revolution which began in 1910. It has been noted that "practically every soldier" in that war was "accompanied by his soldadera" (Thompson, 1921, p. 233). These women were found in the rebel bands of Emiliano Zapata, Francisco Villa and Venustiano Carranza, as well as in the troops of the regular Mexican army (federales) (Miller, 1985, p. 292). For the most part, the soldaderas held traditional feminine roles during the Revolution. As such, their main functions were "to cook and care for the men" (Salas, 1990, p. 39). The soldaderas also served an important purpose by raising the morale of the male troops. In the words of the American journalist John Reed, "the soldadera served as more than a modern commissary, she provided the comfort and companionship that kept the soldier on the move for so many terrible years" (1969, p. 97). In addition to caring for the men, the soldaderas often joined in the fighting. For example, the women would often "take up arms to defend their husbands" while the soldiers were resting or eating (Salas, 1990, p. 44). Some women took up arms because of their commitment to the revolutionary cause, and many of these women soldiers became distinguished fighters who had a great impact on the outcome of the Revolution. According to the historian Robert Ryan Miller, these heroic women were referred to as soldadas, in contrast to the camp followers known as soldaderas, "unarmed women who cooked for the soldiers, shared their beds, and nursed the wounded and ill" (Miller, 1985, p. 292).
Women fighters had existed in the region of Mexico long before the Revolution of 1910. In fact, the Mexican tradition of women soldiers can be traced to ancient times, when goddesses and women warriors were prominently featured in legends and myths (Salas, 1990, p. 39). There is evidence that women in ancient Mesoamerica engaged in warfare alongsi...