1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey guys, welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: where we bring you a new tidbit from history every day. 4 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: Today is June. The day was June nineteen fourteen. The 5 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:31,320 Speaker 1: Battle of Zaka Takas, also known as Latoma de Tecas, 6 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 1: took place when Ponto Villa and his Division of the 7 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:37,960 Speaker 1: North defeated the troops of General Louis Medina Baron at 8 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: the city of Zaka Takas. It's considered the bloodiest battle 9 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: and the struggle to overthrow Mexican President Victoriano Huerta. The 10 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: Mexican Revolution began in nineteen ten with a call to 11 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: overthrow Dictator Portfrio Dias, who had ruled since eighteen eighty four. 12 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: Dias said that Mexico was ready for democracy and for 13 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 1: Cisco Madetto campaigned successfully for the presidency, but Diaz had 14 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 1: my Datta arrested before the election, and Diaz was announced 15 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: as the winner of the election. My Datto called for 16 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:16,560 Speaker 1: a revolt and revolutionary leaders began taking action against Dias's government. 17 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: Soon Dias abdicated the presidency and in November of nineteen eleven, 18 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: my Datto became president, but all was not well. My 19 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 1: Datto was not a great leader, and he did not 20 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 1: implement land reforms he had promised. My data resigned. General 21 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,680 Speaker 1: Victoriano Huerta took the presidency in February of nineteen thirteen, 22 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: and Madetto and his vice president were assassinated. Wuerta was 23 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: also a dictator, and revolutionaries began calling for his resignation. 24 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: Pancho Villa was one of the revolutionaries who opposed Guerta. 25 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: Da led an armed faction of thousands of men known 26 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: as the Division del North Day or Division of the North. 27 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 1: He allied with revel stionary Venetiano Carranza and his Constitutionalist 28 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:07,919 Speaker 1: Army of Mexico to depose the dictator with a force 29 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: of volunteers and mercenaries. He wanted victories against federal forces 30 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: at Tierra ra Blanca, so you did. Juarez vaa Hinaga 31 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:20,920 Speaker 1: Palacio and torrion Zaka. Takas was an old mining town 32 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: and railway junction that any attacker who came from the 33 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: north would have to capture before moving on to Mexico City. 34 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 1: The town was surrounded by high hills. Somewhere around twelve thousand, 35 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: Federal forces were in Zacatecas, but Carranza was resentful of 36 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:39,919 Speaker 1: via success and he did not want Villa to beat 37 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 1: him to Mexico City. Carronsa ordered Villa to divert his attack, 38 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:49,639 Speaker 1: but Via decided to attack Zaka Takas anyway. General Phelippe A. 39 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: Hills planned the attack. The Division of the North was 40 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 1: twenty thousand people strong and they had artillery from US dealers. 41 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:03,080 Speaker 1: On June twenty third, nineteen fourteen, Vas force captured the 42 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 1: hills of El Grillo and La Buffa, where the federal 43 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: commander of the city, General Louis Madiana Baron, had placed 44 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: his artillery. A federal colonel in charge of an ammunition 45 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: dump detonated the arsenal rather than surrendering to federal troops. 46 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:22,080 Speaker 1: The morale of the federal forces began to falter, and 47 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: many panicked As they attempted to flee the city. VIA's 48 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:30,640 Speaker 1: cavalry began killing them. When Baron ordered the remaining troops 49 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: to evacuate the city, they ran into seven thousand troops 50 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: from the Division del Norte in the town of Guadalupe. 51 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: VIA's troops executed federal officers and demanded they joined Via. 52 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: Side or die. In the end, about seven thousand soldiers 53 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: had died, five thousand were injured, and more civilians were 54 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: killed or hurt. Revolutionaries pillaged the city. The chaos ended 55 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 1: that night. The bodies were burned or thrown into mines, 56 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: but the city was soon hit with a typhus epidemic 57 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 1: and Bamin. After this devastating defeat, where the support waned, 58 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 1: Wuerta resigned less than a month later on July fifteenth, 59 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: and went into exile. The Neustiano Carranza declared himself president 60 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:21,480 Speaker 1: in August, but Villa and Emiliano Zabata, another revolutionary leader, 61 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: cut ties with him. The Constitution of Mexico was created 62 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:30,720 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventeen, but fighting continued for years after. Historians 63 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 1: disagree on the exact end date of the revolution. I'm 64 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:36,680 Speaker 1: Eve Jeff Coo and hopefully you know a little more 65 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. Keep up with 66 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at T D I 67 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: HC Podcast, and if you haven't checked it out yet, 68 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:51,920 Speaker 1: you can listen to a new podcast my host called 69 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: Unpopular Unpopularised about people in history who resisted the status quo. 70 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:06,360 Speaker 1: Thanks again for listening and We'll see you tomorrow. Yeah. Mmm. 71 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:15,320 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit the I 72 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:18,039 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 73 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:18,839 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.