Why did Emiliano Zapata turn against Francisco Madero?

Emiliano Zapata turned against Francisco Madero primarily due to Madero’s failure to address the urgent need for land reform and the restoration of land to the ejidos (Indigenous communal lands) after the fall of the dictator Porfirio Díaz.1

Although Zapata initially supported Madero’s revolution, their relationship deteriorated after Madero assumed the presidency in 1911. Key points of conflict included:

• Disarmament: Madero insisted that the peasant guerrillas disarm before land issues were resolved, a demand Zapata rejected.1
• Lack of Reform: Madero offered Zapata personal financial compensation to purchase land instead of implementing the systemic agrarian changes Zapata demanded for his people.1
• Military Action: Tensions escalated when the provisional government sent the army against Zapata’s forces while they were in the process of disarming.1

Ultimately, Zapata concluded that Madero was incapable of fulfilling the goals of the revolution. This led him to draft the Plan of Ayala, which formally denounced Madero and renewed the revolution under the slogan “Tierra y Libertad” (“Land and Liberty”).1